“What is happening in aviation this year?”: Fans left worried as Gonzaga men’s team luckily escapes disastrous collision between 2 planes

The Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team is fortunate to be still alive today. On Friday, the charter plane they were riding in came close to colliding with a Delta plane taking off at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). A frantic call from the air traffic controller prevented an unimaginable mishap, saving the lives of the Zags' men's basketball team and the Delta passengers bound for Atlanta.

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (#13) reacts after a basket against the Bucknell Bison in the second half of their NCAA game at McCarthey Athletic Center (Credits: IMAGN)

Plane enthusiast Kevin Ray captured the terrifying scene during a live stream on his YouTube channel, "AIRLINE VIDEOS." The air traffic controller screamed at the pilots of Gonzaga's charter, telling them:

"Stop, stop, stop!"

The pilots of Key Lime Air Flight 563 heeded his call, immediately putting the brakes on their jet just before crossing the runway of Delta's plane. Ray breathed a huge sigh of relief, uttering the word "Wow" after the two aircraft avoided a catastrophic collision.

College hoops fans took to Instagram to react to Gonzaga's lucky escape.

College hoops fans reacted to Gonzaga's charter plane avoiding a catastrophic collision. Source: Instagram/@cbbcontent

"What is happening in aviation this year??" one fan said.

"What is going on with planes to end this year?" another fan said.

"Almost ended up like Marshall," one fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans.

"Looks miles away but I suppose with the speeds and size, it only takes one mistake," another fan said.

"I am so happy Ryan Nembhard and all of the Gonzaga team and staff is OK," one fan said.

"Wow, real close," another fan said.

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Gonzaga ends 2024 with win over Pepperdine

The No. 19 Gonzaga Bulldogs bounced back from Saturday's 65-62 loss to the UCLA Bruins at Intuit Dome, recording an 89-82 victory over the Pepperdine Waves on Monday. Four players scored in double figures for the Zags, who improved their overall record to 10-4.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Khalif Battle (#99) grabs a loose ball in front of teammate Ben Gregg (#33) and UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (#34) and guard Lazar Stefanovic (#10) during the first half of their NCAA game at Intuit Dome (Credits: IMAGN)

Starters Khalif Battle and Graham Ike delivered for Gonzaga, scoring 21 and 16 points, respectively. Braden Huff and Ben Gregg provided the firepower off the bench, combining for 31 points in the road win. Huff shot the lights out against Pepperdine, making all but one of his 10 field-goal attempts.