Mishap on LAX Taxiway Delays Some Landings
A jumbo jetliner bumped into a tractor that was towing it at Los Angeles International Airport and sprang a fuel leak Thursday morning, forcing the closure of a taxiway that ultimately led to some delays in landings, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
FAA spokeswoman Elly Brekke said the empty Northwest Airlines Boeing 747 was being towed along a taxiway on the northwest side of the airport when the drawbar on the tractor broke. She said the momentum of the big plane carried it into the tractor and the landing gear under the left wing was damaged, causing fuel to leak from a wing tank.
Officials said it took several hours to clean up the fuel. During the operation, one of the two runways normally used for landings had to be used as a taxiway, and resulting congestion led to delays.
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