Pilot Fails to Set Brakes; Plane Hits LAX Jetway
An American Airlines jet carrying 125 passengers and crew members hit a passenger jetway at Los Angeles International Airport because the pilot failed to set the brakes, according to the airline’s preliminary report.
No passengers were injured Saturday, but the plane’s left wing and the accordion-like structure that connects the aircraft to the terminal were damaged.
American Flight 21, which arrived from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport at 9:07 p.m., was taken out of service.
Todd Burke, a spokesman for American Airlines, said the Boeing 767 jet had stopped and the engines had been shut down when the accident occurred.
The jetway had not yet moved toward the aircraft, and the plane’s door was closed, Burke said. Because the brake wasn’t set, the plane rolled about 25 feet, and the left wing hit the jetway.
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