In cockpit audio, the pilot could be heard saying that the close call was "really bad"
Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- An American Airlines pilot slammed on his brakes to avoid colliding with an operations truck at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Wednesday, April 15
- The pilot was heard saying he had to avoid the vehicle as it went in front of the plane
- American Airlines praised their crew for their actions, while the airport and the FAA told PEOPLE they are investigating the incident
An American Airlines pilot was forced to slam on his brakes to avoid an operations truck while taxiing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina on April 15.
In cockpit audio obtained by WSOC-TV and ABC News from ATC.com, the pilot is heard saying that he was trying to avoid the vehicle as it went right in front of the aircraft.
"That white-black truck, they just went right in front of us, and we nearly hit them," the pilot says, per the outlets. "I had to slam on our brakes. We had our taxi light on, and we had started moving. They need to be — someone's gotta be notified right away."
The pilot went on to describe the close call as "really bad," while the person on the other end asks which direction the truck was heading in and checks the color again, before confirming that it has located the vehicle.
Credit: Getty
American Airlines told PEOPLE that it was "proud of the professionalism of our crew and the action they took," while Charlotte Douglas International Airport told PEOPLE that it "is aware of the reported incident involving an American Airlines aircraft and a CLT ground vehicle while taxiing near the gate," and confirmed "no collision between the aircraft and the ground vehicle."
The airport adding that the incident is "being investigated in accordance with safety standards."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed to PEOPLE they are also investigating.
The incident comes less than a month after two pilots died and more than 40 people were taken to the hospital when an Air Canada plane collided with a firetruck at New York City's LaGuardia Airport. The flight from Montreal to LaGuardia had 72 passengers and four crew members on board, NBC News and CNN reported at the time, citing Air Canada.
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After authorities recovered the black box from the plane, investigators went over information from the cockpit voice recorder inside, including that the firetruck that crossed in front of the plane on March 22 was told to stop twice seconds before the collision.
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