Cargo Truck Runs into Qantas Jet at Los Angeles Airport

A Qantas airliner with more than 300 people on board was damaged when it collided with a cargo truck on a taxiway at Los Angeles International Airport, officials said.

The Boeing 747 jumbo jet had just arrived from Australia and was rolling toward the terminal Monday when it was struck by the cargo truck, damaging one of its engines, according to an incident report by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Nobody was hurt. The 291 passengers and 19 crew members were taken off the plane and removed from the airfield by bus. The jet was towed to a maintenance hangar, where it remained on Tuesday.

Airplanes always have the right of way on the taxiways at the airport, said airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles.

The plane was expected to be back in service on Wednesday after mechanics received a replacement part, said Qantas Airways spokesman Mike Abraham. He said the engine did not suffer any major damage.

The FAA said in its report that damage to the engine was "substantial."

Abraham declined to provide more details about the accident.

"We're investigating the circumstances and it would unfair to describe anything until we know more," he said.

Airport officials referred calls to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the collision. A spokesman for the NTSB didn't immediately have information on the incident.

Abraham said passengers who were booked on a 10:30 p.m. flight to Sydney on Monday were assigned to other Qantas flights.

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