Five people were injured Friday night when an airplane being towed from an airport gate to a parking area collided with a shuttle bus.
“The aircraft that was being towed from a gate to a remote parking location made physical contact with a bus traveling on the south side of the LAX airfield. Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and treated about five people at the scene (a tug driver plus bus passengers. There is no major operational disruption at LAX,” a statement fromLos Angeles World Airports read according to CBS News.
🚨#BREAKING: A passenger bus has collided with a plane at LAX
A passenger bus collided with a American Airlines plane which was in the process of being towed at LAX airport. There are at least 5 people injured as result of the crash, with reports of… https://t.co/F4NFNO1zAz pic.twitter.com/dA03qjdX8Z
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 11, 2023
The “slow speed” accident happened just after 10pm and sent four people of the five injured to the hospital, including the driver of the tug towing the plane who was listed in moderate condition, CBS News reported. Others injured and hospitalized included the driver of the shuttle bus and two passengers, all listed in fair condition. A fifth person, an airline employee aboard the plane, was also injured but refused further medical evaluation, the Los Angeles Fire Department revealed to the outlet. (RELATED: Investigations Underway After Two Planes Nearly Collide At JFK Airport)
There were no other passengers aboard the plane at the time of the collision, according to CBS News.
LAX acknowledged the collision with a tweet, stating, “A jet being towed tonight from a gate to a parking area made contact with a shuttle bus, resulting in injuries to about 5 people. We thank our partners @LAFD for quickly responding and treating passengers from the bus. Other LAX operations remain normal.”
The towed plane appears to have swiped the bus as it made its way from the gate and onto the taxiway causing “extensive” damage to the windshield of the shuttle bus, ABC 7 reported.
No immediate cause for the crash has been determined, but an investigation is underway.