Jet aborts takeoff when car makes wrong turn onto runway

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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Federal officials say a plane carrying 78 people was forced to abort a takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport when a car made a wrong turn onto a runway.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the incident shortly before noon Tuesday involved a Compass Airlines twin-engine jet bound for Kansas City.

The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/1NGS81u ) an alarm sounded in the control tower when a worker driving an airport vehicle mistakenly turned onto the runway from a taxiway.

After air traffic control canceled the takeoff, the pilot applied the brakes and pulled off the runway after traveling a few thousand feet.

No injuries were reported.

The newspaper says the jet and car were apparently several thousand feet apart when the airliner came to a stop.