5 injured after plane collides with bus at California’s LAX

(KTLA) – At least five people were injured when an American Airlines jet collided with a passenger shuttle bus at Los Angeles International Airport Friday night, airport officials confirmed.

The collision happened on the south side of the airport as the plane was being towed from a gate to a parking lot on a taxiway, an LAX spokesperson told NewsNation local affiliate KTLA.

The plane, an Airbus A321, was not carrying passengers. However, the shuttle bus was.

Five people were treated by paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Four were transported to nearby hospitals, the department said.

The tug driver was listed in moderate condition. The bus driver and two passengers were listed in fair condition, the LAFD said.

The only person on the plane, a worker, was treated for injuries but declined transport.

“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,” LAX tweeted. “We thank our partners @LAFD for quickly responding and treating passengers from the bus. Other LAX operations remain normal.”

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

And earlier this week, A Southwest Airlines and FedEx cargo plane were just 100 feet from crashing into each other at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

Air traffic cleared the FedEx cargo plane to land just as the Southwest flight was preparing for take off.

Reportedly, one hundred twenty-eight people were on that Southwest flight.

The FAA says the pilot realized just in time and aborted the landing.

Kit Darby, former United Airlines Pilot and aviation expert says these incidents, while potentially dangerous, are actually quite rare and doesn’t feel passengers should be worried for their safety.

“A handful of incidences out of 9 million flights,” Darby said. “It’s working pretty good. Could it be better? Yes. Do we need different procedures? Probably not. What we need to do is follow the procedures we have better, more closely be a little more conservative.”

Just last month there was another near miss at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York between an American Airlines and a Delta flight on the runway.

The National Transportation Safety Board says they’re continuing their investigation into all three incidents.