Boeing 767 aircraft rolls into fence at Los Angeles airport

Airline Industry Information, April 11, 2002

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2002 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

An American Airlines Boeing 767 aircraft began rolling while parked at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday (10 April).

The empty aircraft, which had reportedly been parked overnight outside a hangar for routine maintenance, rolled through a chain-link fence and came to rest with its nose blocking a street on the airport grounds. The nose of the aircraft barely cleared some 5,000 volt power lines strung between two utility poles. The power to several nearby buildings and traffic lights had to be shut down while emergency crews towed the aircraft back onto the tarmac. According to reports the aircraft had travelled about 60 feet.

The Federal Aviation Administration is currently looking over maintenance records to identify the cause of the mishap. It is unclear whether the aircraft's parking brake was properly applied or whether the small blocks normally put next to aircraft wheels to keep them from moving had been used.

No one was injured during the incident, however one of the aircraft's engines was scratched, reported The Associated Press.

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