An American Airlines Airbus A321 from Los Angeles to Boston was forced into a high-speed rejected takeoff on Sunday night when a German cargo jet that had just arrived from Shanghai crossed its runway by mistake.
Around 10:35 p.m. American flight 2453 accelerated down Runway 25R with 94 passengers and seven crew onboard. At roughly 160 miles per hour, the crew was ordered by air traffic control to cancel takeoff clearance when AeroLogic Boeing 777 freighter entered the active runway without clearance.
The two aircraft got within 5,200 feet of each other. The risk came from the American flight already approaching its decision speed when the freighter crossed ahead of it.
The A321 slowed safely and returned to the apron. After a delay of more than two hours, the flight departed again and landed in Boston before 9 a.m. Monday.
- American was cleared for takeoff, rolling at high speed
- AeroLogic cleared to cross 25L, instructed left on Taxiway Q → A
- Instead, AeroLogic turned right on Q, crossed 25R without clearance
- ATC: “German Cargo 619, stop … American 2453, cancel takeoff clearance”
“German Cargo 619, stop!” LAX ATC shouted as an AeroLogic 777 crossed runway 25R, 1.3 miles down the runway from an American Airlines flight to Boston. The jet slammed on the brakes at 167 mph — all captured live on the 24/7 Airline Videos cameras. pic.twitter.com/KsPxcQbciH
— AIRLINE VIDEOS (@airlinevideos) September 29, 2025
The FAA is now investigating how the AeroLogic crew wound up on the wrong taxi route, turning right instead of left. While the 5,200 foot separation may sound large, the danger was acute: an A321 accelerating near takeoff speed faced an unexpected obstacle ahead, forcing a rare high-energy stop.
When an airliner accelerates for departure, there’s a critical speed called V1 (the “decision speed”). Below V1, crews are expected to reject the takeoff if something goes wrong. Above V1, they are committed to fly, because stopping on the remaining runway may not be possible.
High speed means high risk. At about 160 miles per hour, the Boston flight was already near V1. Rejecting at that point requires maximum braking, high brake temperatures, and precise control to avoid runway overruns. An unauthorized aircraft on the runway ahead is one of the few reasons ATC would cancel a clearance at this stage, because it’s a critical risk.
AeroLogic is a German cargo airline that’s owned by DHL and Lufthansa.
Update: American Airlines shares,
On Sept. 28, American Airlines flight 2453, with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Boston (BOS), discontinued its takeoff after the crew observed another aircraft on the runway. The aircraft later re-departed for BOS normally. We thank our crew members for their quick action and our customers for their understanding.
This is one of those moments that really shows just how thin the margin of safety can be in aviation. An A321 already barreling down the runway at 160 mph had to slam on the brakes because a 777 wandered across at the worst possible time. Credit to ATC for making the right call in a split second, but it’s a reminder of how quickly a normal day can turn into something that’s almost unthinkable.
And this isn’t just a one-off mistake. The FAA has been getting hammered lately for being slow to act on runway incursion fixes. Out of two dozen improvements recommended, only a handful have actually been put in place. They’re now rushing to roll out new sensor and alert systems, but it’s years behind where it should be. Pilots are calling for cockpit-based runway alert systems like Honeywell’s SURF-A to become standard, because right now too much is left to human eyes and radio calls. Until the FAA really connects the dots and treats these incidents as part of a pattern instead of isolated events, the system is still running way too close to the edge. Sadly, a whole lot of our best aviation safety standards are written in blood. It shouldn’t have to be that way.
Lucy you got some splain’ to do…
Wow, that was one helluva “pucker factor” for the AA takeoff crew !!
It seems like this was heroic and quick acting by ATC at LAX. Just curioius, why did it take the American plane two hours to get back in the air. Did the stress of the braking necessitate special mechanical attention or a new crew because the crew’s blood pressure was pushed to extremes.
5,200 feet = 1 mile.
@David R. Miller — Nah, 5,280 feet = 1 mile… those extra 80 feet still count.
It happens when you fly enough. I’ve had way more aborted landings though- at least a dozen. Most happen early- as in maybe 1/2 mile from the runway or more, but 2 (exactly) happened less then 100 feet above, which as most readers will know takes way more time to get back up in the air.
Aborted takeoffs- for me at least- have only happened twice. Once on my 5th ever flight leaving DFW, (~1992?) we aborted at around 100mph or so. People were scared.
The other was just at PHL in the last year, about halfway down the runway, and while no where near V1, still was kind of scary, and more frustrating since we had to get maintenance to look at a ‘light’ and took another 2 hours, but that’s obviously better than the alternative of not writing this comment.
@Jon Biedermann — Well said. Better to still have you with us!