Overview
- Frontier Flight 3216, taxiing for departure at LAX at 11:25 p.m. Wednesday, stopped short after two service trucks crossed its path near the Kilo and Bravo service road.
- The FAA opened an investigation into why vehicles entered the taxiway crossing where controllers talk to pilots but not truck drivers, who are required to yield to aircraft.
- Air traffic control audio captured the pilot saying the crew had to “slam on the brakes” and calling it the “closest I’ve ever seen,” with the event unfolding too fast to note company markings.
- Frontier said 217 passengers and seven crew were on board, reported no injuries, and the A321 continued to Atlanta and landed without further incident, according to flight tracking data.
- Experts noted this area is a tower blind spot at LAX, and the close call—weeks after the fatal LaGuardia runway crash—has sharpened focus on surface surveillance and ground-vehicle procedures.