Narrative:

I landed medium large transport X on runway 24L at lax and rolled to high speed turn off #65 to make a reverse turn to taxi eastbound to gate 12A. Just prior to reaching taxiway uniform, I glanced to the left in the direction I was going to turn. My aircraft was slowed to about 10 mph. To my complete surprise and horror I saw medium large transport Y traveling in the opp direction (wbound) at an excessive rate of speed (approximately 50 mph). He was taxiing from the gate area to park the aircraft on the west pads. I immediately slammed the brakes on and we came to an abrupt stop. The wing tip of medium large transport Y passed within 10' of our aircraft. The medium large transport Y driver (appeared to be a mechanic) never even looked our direction. After my first officer had finished the transmission to lax ground control on our gate assignment, I contacted the ground controller and advised him how close we had come to having a fatal collision. Upon reaching the gate I called the tower and talked to the supervisor on duty. After researching the tapes and doing a brief investigation, the supervisor found there had been a breakdown in tower procedure and communication. The ground controller had attempted to notify the tower controller to advise medium large transport X to hold short of uniform for opp direction traffic (medium large transport Y). He failed to utilize the intercom and just yelled across the tower cabin. He thought the tower controller had received the message. Upon further investigation, the supervisor determined the tower controller had never received the message. The medium large transport Y wing passed about nose high on medium large transport X. Had I been distracted for just a second or failed to look in that direction a moment later, the wing of the medium large transport Y would have sliced through our cockpit, killing the crew and most likely igniting the fuel in the wing of the medium large transport X. I know this is a real problem at lax moving aircraft opp direction to the hangars or parking pads. A possible solution is to taxi them down the runway. Also I feel all traffic communication in the tower be conducted on interphone. Interphone requires a positive response to a statement. Interphone communication in this case would have eliminated the need for this NASA report.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER LNDG AND TURNING OFF THE HIGH SPEED TXWY, MLG X CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP TO AVOID HITTING A TAXIING MLG Y.

Narrative: I LANDED MLG X ON RWY 24L AT LAX AND ROLLED TO HIGH SPD TURN OFF #65 TO MAKE A REVERSE TURN TO TAXI EBND TO GATE 12A. JUST PRIOR TO REACHING TXWY UNIFORM, I GLANCED TO THE LEFT IN THE DIRECTION I WAS GOING TO TURN. MY ACFT WAS SLOWED TO ABOUT 10 MPH. TO MY COMPLETE SURPRISE AND HORROR I SAW MLG Y TRAVELING IN THE OPP DIRECTION (WBOUND) AT AN EXCESSIVE RATE OF SPD (APPROX 50 MPH). HE WAS TAXIING FROM THE GATE AREA TO PARK THE ACFT ON THE W PADS. I IMMEDIATELY SLAMMED THE BRAKES ON AND WE CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THE WING TIP OF MLG Y PASSED WITHIN 10' OF OUR ACFT. THE MLG Y DRIVER (APPEARED TO BE A MECH) NEVER EVEN LOOKED OUR DIRECTION. AFTER MY F/O HAD FINISHED THE XMISSION TO LAX GND CTL ON OUR GATE ASSIGNMENT, I CONTACTED THE GND CTLR AND ADVISED HIM HOW CLOSE WE HAD COME TO HAVING A FATAL COLLISION. UPON REACHING THE GATE I CALLED THE TWR AND TALKED TO THE SUPVR ON DUTY. AFTER RESEARCHING THE TAPES AND DOING A BRIEF INVESTIGATION, THE SUPVR FOUND THERE HAD BEEN A BREAKDOWN IN TWR PROC AND COM. THE GND CTLR HAD ATTEMPTED TO NOTIFY THE TWR CTLR TO ADVISE MLG X TO HOLD SHORT OF UNIFORM FOR OPP DIRECTION TFC (MLG Y). HE FAILED TO UTILIZE THE INTERCOM AND JUST YELLED ACROSS THE TWR CABIN. HE THOUGHT THE TWR CTLR HAD RECEIVED THE MESSAGE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THE SUPVR DETERMINED THE TWR CTLR HAD NEVER RECEIVED THE MESSAGE. THE MLG Y WING PASSED ABOUT NOSE HIGH ON MLG X. HAD I BEEN DISTRACTED FOR JUST A SECOND OR FAILED TO LOOK IN THAT DIRECTION A MOMENT LATER, THE WING OF THE MLG Y WOULD HAVE SLICED THROUGH OUR COCKPIT, KILLING THE CREW AND MOST LIKELY IGNITING THE FUEL IN THE WING OF THE MLG X. I KNOW THIS IS A REAL PROB AT LAX MOVING ACFT OPP DIRECTION TO THE HANGARS OR PARKING PADS. A POSSIBLE SOLUTION IS TO TAXI THEM DOWN THE RWY. ALSO I FEEL ALL TFC COM IN THE TWR BE CONDUCTED ON INTERPHONE. INTERPHONE REQUIRES A POSITIVE RESPONSE TO A STATEMENT. INTERPHONE COM IN THIS CASE WOULD HAVE ELIMINATED THE NEED FOR THIS NASA RPT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.