Plane narrowly misses van crossing runway for barbecue

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A jetliner taking off narrowly missed hitting an airport van that crossed a runway to go to an employee barbecue.

The Envoy Air jet, with 50 passengers and 3 crew members aboard, was taking off on June 27 from Missouri’s Springfield-Branson National Airport. Video shows the van cleared the jet’s path with seconds to spare.

A report obtained by the Springfield News-Leader shows the van’s driver said he decided to cross the runway to make the barbeque in time. He said a ground controller had cleared him to cross Runway 14, but halfway across he saw the plane coming down the runway.

The airport on Wednesday issued a statement that an internal review is underway and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com