At least five people were injured late on Friday after a passenger plane being towed on a taxiway collided with a shuttle bus at Los Angeles International Airport, commonly referred to as LAX, according to officials.
LAX stressed that there was no interruption to airport operations.
“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,” the airport said on Twitter.
LAX applauded their partners and the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) for their quick response and for treating everyone who sustained injuries.
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. We thank our partners @LAFD for quickly responding and treating passengers from the bus. Other LAX operations remain normal.
— LAX Airport (@flyLAXairport) February 11, 2023
The LAFD described the incident in a statement as a “low-speed collision.”
The agency said the collision happened shortly before 10 p.m. and resulted in four people being hospitalized, while one individual was treated at the scene and declined to be transported.
“The tug driver was transported in moderate condition,” the agency stated. “The bus driver and two passengers were transported in fair condition.”
One employee, who was also the only person aboard the plane at the time of the collision, was treated at the scene and refused hospitalization, according to the LAFD.
The shuttle bus’s windshield had extensive damage, KABC reported. The collision also left a large skid mark from the plane’s tire visible.
According to Simple Flying, a leading publication for aviation news, the commercial plane was an American Airlines Airbus A321 aircraft and was being tugged for maintenance.
Pictures and video footage of the incident appeared on social media shortly after the collision, showing a large presence of police, fire personnel, and medical professionals assessing the scene of the crash.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash and the damage to the aircraft is currently unknown.