United Reports a Near-Miss at LAX

A United Airlines 767 was the latest commercial jet to report a near-miss with a small, private airplane, aviation authorities reported Tuesday.

The pilot of United’s Flight 8 reported to the Federal Aviation Administration that he had just taken off from Los Angeles International Airport Sunday for New York City when the smaller plane flew over his jet, missing it by only 300 feet, A FAA spokesman said. The United pilot did not say whether he had taken evasive action.

The smaller plane, described only as a Mooney brand, had apparently not checked in with ground controllers, the FAA spokesman said, although the small craft was in the terminal control area over the Pacific six miles southwest of LAX.

It was not immediately known whether controllers had seen the smaller plane on their scopes.