Pilot forced to "slam on the brakes" to avoid truck at Charlotte airport

U.S. American Airlines pilot forced to "slam on the brakes" to avoid colliding with truck at Charlotte airport By Emily Mae Czachor, Emily Mae Czachor News Editor Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek. Read Full Bio Emily Mae Czachor, Kris Van Cleave, Kris Van Cleave Kris Van Cleave Emmy Award-winning journalist Kris Van Cleave is the senior transportation correspondent for CBS News based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also serves as a national correspondent reporting for all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. Read Full Bio Kris Van Cleave, Kathryn Krupnik Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 8:30 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google An American Airlines pilot was forced to "slam on the brakes" to avoid colliding with a truck at Charlotte's airport on Wednesday, according to Air Traffic Control audio."They just went right in front of us," the pilot of American Airlines Flight 1197 can be heard telling a ramp controller in the audio, referring to the truck. "We nearly hit them. I had to slam on the brakes."The pilot went on to explain that his taxi light was switched on, and the plane was moving, when the vehicle sped past. He described it as a white-and-black pickup truck used for airport operations."Someone's got to be notified right away," the pilot said. "That's really bad."It appears the American aircraft was leaving the concourse area of the North Carolina airport and headed toward the runway when the encounter took place. According to the tracking site FlightAware, the flight to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., departed on time from Charlotte."Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is aware of the reported incident involving an American Airlines aircraft and a CLT ground vehicle while taxiing near the gate on Wednesday morning," a spo...