An Aeromexico jet’s brakes were slammed on, and a landing gear collapsed on takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday, and 129 passengers were evacuated past “red hot brakes” onto the runway.
LAX officials and firefighters said there no flames or injuries as passengers used stair trucks to evacuate onto the runway. An FAA spokesman said the newer-model Boeing 737 was left stranded on one of the four runways at LAX.
“The gear collapse caused damage to the left-side wing and Runway 25 Right. The aircraft is currently disabled on the runway,” said FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer in a statement on Saturday.
Passengers from Aeromexico Flight 018, heading to Mexico City, rode busses back to the terminal to be rebooked on one of three remaining departures to the Mexican capital. The runway is one of four at LAX, and it was closed for about four hours, but LAX officials said no other flights were delayed following the incident.
About 129 people were reportedly on the plane, as it braked to a halt on Runway 25 Right, the northernmost of the two southern parallel runways at LAX.
Fire department spokesman Erik Scott said dispatchers sent engines to the aborted takeoff at 6:33 a.m.
There was no immediate information on why the brakes engaged as the plane was rolling towards wheels up on the runway, which is reportedly 12,091 feet long. Pictures from the scene showed that several thousand feet of runway remained in the flight path.
