A man managed to evade security and get onto a busy runway at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) on Monday evening in a hair-raising incident that took pilots and air traffic controllers by surprise.
It remains unclear how the man circumvented security controls at the sprawling airport, and no one appeared to be aware that he was on the airfield until he suddenly ran towards an American Airlines jet that was just about to take off.
In a stunning air traffic control recording between the American Airlines jet and the control tower, the pilots could be heard explaining that the man was running towards their plane with his hands in the air…