Forum: aviation.stackexchange.com
Tags: <safety><runways><accidents><incidents>
Title: Are there any real life instances of aircraft aborting a takeoff or landing to avoid a vehicle?
Question: I came across a fake video of an A380 closely avoiding a fuel truck. More details at  Snopes  including a link to the YouTube video.  While this video is not real, I'm interested in finding out if it's a realistic situation and if there are any real instances where accidents have been avoided because crew decided to abort takeoff or landing as a result of an unexpected runway intrusion as seen in the video.

Answers:
sents: text: Not only is it possible but it happens.
text: This is formally called a "runway incursion" and it does happen like 2005 Logan Airport runway incursion or the B733 / vehicle, Amsterdam Netherlands, 2010 .
text: Skybrary has a full list you can find here which is quite lengthy and includes a full section for Vehicle Incursion .
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/3677/Dave
score: 47
sents: text: In 1978 a B737 aborted a landing due to a snow plow on the runway.
text: The aircraft crashed during the go around because one thrust reverser did not stow properly.
text: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Western_Airlines_Flight_314
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/12589/Mike Sowsun
score: 23
sents: text: Yes.
text: I was on final once when a taildragger in front of suddenly turned around to backtaxi and turn off on the taxiway he had just passed, thinking to do me a favor and get off the runway quicker.
text: Unfortunately, I had been catching up to him on final anyway, so I just powered up and went around.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/28945/CrossRoads
score: 5
sents: text: If you don't quite abort... Plane Collides with SUV While Landing at (Texas)
text: Northwest Regional Airport (52F)
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/11572/Streak
score: 3
sents: text: I can remember one evening quite some years ago when there was a sudden extremely loud noise.
text: Not quite an explosion -- much too protracted and no shock, but you get the general idea.
text: Since there was no flying debris, no visible columns of smoke, no sign of anything else out of the ordinary, I ignored it apart from paying more attention to the news that evening.
text: The news reported that Concorde had aborted a landing at Heathrow because somebody had strayed onto its runway.
text: This required afterburners!
text: The emergency services lines closer to Heathrow were jammed for quite some time, with people trying to report the "explosion".
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/22146/nigel222
score: 2
sents: text: I personally witnessed one at EWR (Newark International).
text: The runways in EWR run parallel to New Jersey Turnpike, only meters away.
text: I was driving on NJ Turnpike northbound when a flight (looked like a B737, but
text: I'm not sure) touched down parallel to
text: the I-95 just at my level and moments later powered up and went around.
text: A few more moments later I noticed another, much smaller, plane further along the same runway.
text: This was in 1998 or 1999.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/35311/Aleks G
score: 2
sents: text: I am but a meager low time private pilot, but I'm sure this happens all the time as it has happened to me.
text: Before I got my certificate, I departed my home (towered) airport solo planning to buzz over to a nearby very small uncontrolled airport and practice some landings.
text: When I arrived, the city mower was working around the runway, apparently not listening to CTAF.
text: I aborted the first landing as he crossed the runway just in front of me.
text: Fortunately, he was just finishing the area around the runway
text: and I was able to continue practicing without any further issue.
text: From a safety standpoint, it was never a big deal.
text: I saw the mower, was aware of his location, and watched to see if he would depart the area before I got close to the ground.
text: He didn't, so I performed a go around.
text: I was surprised that he seemed not to notice me, but it was more inconvenient than unsafe.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/25328/izzy
score: 2
sents: text: On my first flight I flew into LAX and we were coming into land and suddenly went up again.
text: Looking out of the window and there was another plane on the runway.
text: The captain confirmed over the intercom that was the reason for the aborted landing.
text: I would guess this was in 1977.
answer_details: author: aviation.stackexchange.com/users/44714/Bonzo
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
It is not onlythat a plane aborts a landing for a vehicle on the runway but it happens. This is formally called a  "runway incursion"  and it does happen like  in 2005 Logan Airport runway incursion  or the  B733 / vehicle, Amsterdam Netherlands, 2010 . In 1978 a B737 aborted a landing due to a snow plow on the runway.
This has indeed happened numerous times and many people report having seen/done it, under various conditions with the main problem being another vehicle being an obstacle to their landing.