Jet Accident on Ramp at LAX Blamed on Faulty Brakes

Preliminary findings point to faulty brakes as the cause of Monday night’s collision of two jetliners on the ground at Los Angeles International Airport, officials said Friday. No one was injured but both planes sustained some damage.

As the National Transportation Safety Board continues to learn the reason for the brake failure, the agency began a separate investigation into Thursday afternoon’s accident at LAX involving a Mexicana airliner and a cement truck. The 727 jetliner with no passengers aboard hit a stationary truck that was being used in the renovation of a terminal building, causing damage to the plane’s wing.

“There is a tendency to look at this and say, ‘My God, two accidents in one week,’ ” but you have to look at the big picture,” said Tom Wilcox, a NTSB air safety investigator.

‘A Lot of Close Calls’

“There are a lot of close calls each year, but they are generally spread out. If they were bunched together, that would be something to worry about. If we found any similarities between both incidents, then we’d be highly interested.”

On Monday night, a United Airlines 747 without passengers aboard was being taxied to a hangar by a mechanic when it suddenly veered to the right, clipping the tail cone of an America West 737 carrying 76 passengers and five crew members. The United Airlines plane swerved to avoid a nose-tail collision, after the mechanic tried to slow the jet by applying the brakes.

“We are investigating to see if the brakes didn’t work because of a malfunction, mechanical failure or because of human error,” Wilcox said. The inquiry could take as long as six months.

Another NTSB investigator was at the airport Friday gathering information on Thursday’s accident.

‘Highly Unusual’

“It is highly unusual to have a truck so close to the gates, but the reconstruction of Terminal No. 5 warrants this kind of situation,” said Vince Durocher, district director of marketing for Delta Airlines, whose ground crew was responsible for the Mexicana flight. “I’ve never heard of this happening before in my 25 years here. You just have to be extra careful.”

The airport was notified that the truck would be near the gate, said Ed Simon, project manager for Swinerton & Walberg, the contracting firm.

Ruth Shari, a Mexicana spokeswoman, said ground agents are responsible for making sure that planes avoid hitting obstacles on the runway, but added, “as long as foreign objects are on the runway, accidents like this are bound to happen.”