Gonzaga team plane nearly collides with Delta flight on runway before Friday game vs. UCLA

On Friday, disaster nearly struck as Gonzaga‘s team jet came close to a collision with a Delta plane at LAX. Per Collin Rugg, Gonzaga’s team charter jet had just landed when it nearly pulled directly in front of another plane taking off.

In the video, the air traffic controller could be heard exclaiming “stop” multiple times at the pilot of Gonzaga’s team plane. Thankfully, the pilot stopped the jet just in time as the Delta plane lifted toward the skies.

The FAA is reportedly investigating the near miss. Gonzaga “expects to receive more information related to this event, and is grateful that the incident ended safely for all,” the university said in a statement.

Gonzaga’s misfortune didn’t stop there. On Saturday, the Bulldogs suffered a 65-62 loss to UCLA. Up next, Gonzaga will square off against Pepperdine at 10 p.m. ET on Monday.

NEW: The FAA has launched an investigation after the men's Gonzaga basketball team nearly got eliminated by a Delta plane taking off.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" the air traffic controller could be heard saying.

The chartered Embraer E135 jet, carrying the team, had just landed at… pic.twitter.com/6UAUOG5wiP

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 30, 2024

Gonzaga hopeful to bounce back from string of losses

After kicking off its season with a 5-0 start, Gonzaga is 4-4 in its last eight games. Despite Gonzaga’s recent string of tough losses, Bulldogs head coach Mark Few hasn’t lost faith in his team.

“We’re playing a great schedule and great teams, and when you’re in a position to win in basketball, you just hope you can make a play, make a shot and get a stop at the end,” Few said after the loss to UCLA. “That was a tough call on Emmanuel [Innocenti] … guys did a great job executing, got great looks.

“We had a good looking 3 — Dusty [Stromer] got a wide-open 3 in the corner and just got to kind of make those plays, make those shots. That’s it, there’s nothing more than that.”

As frustrating as the losses may be for the Bulldogs, they’re a better team because of them. With five ranked matchups already under its belt this season, Gonzaga is one of the most battle-tested teams in the country.

Mark Few believes the team’s grueling non-conference schedule will benefit them in conference play.

“We really played some teams that pride themselves physically. You look at UConn, you look at West Virginia to a certain extent, you look at UCLA. I mean those are hard, physical teams. We’ve done a great job matching that.

“In the past, fortune smiled down on us a little bit. Now we need to come down and just make a play here, play there, simple as that. I’ve been telling these guys ‘The next shots going in.'”