An air-traffic controller was heard yelling, 'Stop, stop stop!' to the charter in a video of the incident
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into what was nearly a catastrophe as a Delta flight almost crashed into the Gonzaga men’s basketball charter plane at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday.
Footage of the moment showed that the Delta Flight 471 was about to take off when an air-traffic controller was heard screaming, "Stop, stop, stop!" at the charter plane carrying the men’s basketball team across the runway.
Luckily, the warning worked as the Delta flight took off without crashing into the Gonzaga charter.
A general overall view as Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Kaylynne Truong (14) dribbles the ball against UC Irvine Anteaters guard Shirel Nahum (12) on the Gonzaga University logo at center court in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
A plane spotter, Kevin Ray, also uploaded video on YouTube, and they could be heard saying, "Wow!" as it was that close to being a very serious situation.
Most commercial planes reach between 150 and 180 miles per hour before takeoff depending on the weight of the aircraft. So, the impact of the charter plane could have been lethal.
NEW: The FAA has launched an investigation after the men's Gonzaga basketball team nearly got eliminated by a Delta plane taking off.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 30, 2024
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" the air traffic controller could be heard saying.
The chartered Embraer E135 jet, carrying the team, had just landed at… pic.twitter.com/6UAUOG5wiP
"In the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never heard a ATC controller tell a plane to ‘Stop, stop, stop,’" the plane spotter was heard saying.
A Delta Air Lines plane sits on the tarmac Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at South Bend International Airport. (IMAGN)
The No. 19 Gonzaga men’s basketball team had landed in Los Angeles from Spokane, Washington for their matchup on Saturday against No. 15 UCLA.
The Bruins defeated the Bulldogs, 65-62, with star guard Eric Dailey Jr. scoring 18 for UCLA. Gonzaga’s Graham Ike had 24 points with eight rebounds and two assists.
The Bulldogs’ Ryan Nembhard had a chance to tie the game at 63 apiece with a free throw, but despite usual success at the charity stripe, he missed to keep the Bruins lead at one with 10 seconds left and UCLA never let it slip.
Gonzaga Bulldogs logo on the short during a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. (James Snook-Imagn Images)
Gonzaga remains in California as they’re set to face the Pepperdine Waves on Monday night before heading back to Washington in the new year.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
