I was just at LAX twice over the last month for pax pickups, and boy what a mess! This 25L closure throws a big wrench in the works. Most of the intersections normally available for use to cross 25R are closed due to the construction project. More of the freighter and bizjet traffic than ever must land and take off from the 24s, requiring even more than the normal amount of taxi traffic between the north complex and the south. All things considered, it's working more smoothly than I might have thought. ATC really has their work cut out for them, and IMHO, are doing an admirable job under difficult circumstances.
But there are some problems related to the taxiway A painted ground markings and taxiway signage. Since most of the north/south taxiways between taxiway A and 25R are closed for the rwy work, the signs along taxiway A have been removed and the closed taxiways marked XXX. Also the painted taxiway markings are faded or dirty, rendering them difficult to see and read. I don't know how you guys do it, but I like to follow along on the airport diagram comparing the charted taxiway intersections to the ones I am seeing out the window as an aid to positional awareness. Trouble is, this is darned difficult to do with the designation signs removed and the surface markings obscured or difficult to see.
I couldn't help wondering if this was a possible contributing factor to the part of the story where the Gulfstream crew missed their assigned turn at the north/south taxiway on which they were to hold short of 25R, requiring that they turn around and proceed back to that taxiway. That, and the fact that at 18:00L, the westbound taxiway is nearly aligned with the setting sun. (if not obscured by cloud) So the potential for a little confusion, frustration, embarassment etc... Distraction.
Note:In my experience, it is normal for south ground to issue taxi instructions to taxi to the departure runway and hold short of the runway to be crossed and to contact the tower for crossing. There may be certain exceptions to this normal practice, but this is usually how they handle it.
Now I know that more than a few non-US pilots have issues with our "implied" clearance to cross all runways as part of a normal clearance to taxi to the departure runway. Unless explicitly instructed to hold short of, or at, a point along your taxi route, you are cleared to cross all runways along your taxi route except the runway you were cleared to taxi to. So I cannot help but wonder if this could have, in some part, been a factor.
Okay, so much for the musings. That was a really close call! Very good SA and reaction time on the part of the Skywest crew, thank goodness. Apparently, good brakes too. Assuming for a moment that the news report is accurate, I really don't know what else the controller or anyone else could have done once the G taxied onto the runway. There would have been very little time to act once the RJ was rolling. How was anyone to know that the G would taxi onto a runway they had just read back that they would hold short of. Perhaps this is even the reason for LAX's normal practice of handing aircraft off to the local controller for crossing instead of ground clearing aircraft across, I don't know. The holes sure lined up here! It certainly appears that good eyes and quick decision making on the RJ flightdeck narrowly averted another conflagration at LAX. Good job!
As always, I await official information before I commit to any particular beliefs about what did happen, or what caused it. The above are just some thoughts that came to mind given the story as it has been told so far.
Anyone have anything else to add?
Best regards,
Westhawk