WATCH: Airport chaos as out-of-control vehicle narrowly avoids slamming into plane

Flights from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, USA faced a novel challenge this week. A video rapidly going viral on Twitter captured the alarming moment a catering cart span out of control. The shocking footage shows the unmanned cart spinning wildly around in circles on the tarmac – worryingly close to a parked plane. Staff in high-vis jackets stand around in panic but seem unsure of how to tackle the errant vehicle.

According to MailOnline, a water crate had fallen on the accelerator of the catering cart causing it to perform doughnuts.

It is shown flying around at high speed and is moving too quickly for any of the ground crew to stop.

One member of staff seems to collapse as they look on at the catering cart’s gyrations – although it’s not clear what caused the fall.

The contents of the cart can be seen spilling out as the vehicle hurtles around the runway in scenes that would be comedic were it not for the dangerous implications of such a lack of control.

The cart’s erratic behaviour is brought to an end after a member of ground crew – identified as American Airlines employee Jorge Manalang – drives a smaller vehicle into its path.

The cart is brought to a halt and crumples to the ground, its remaining contents spilling over the tarmac.

Manalang – who has been praised as a hero – told MailOnline – “When I saw the cart turning for almost a minute, I started to think how it could be stopped and I saw the pushback parked right on the nose gear of the aircraft. That’s why I ran to it and hit the cart.”

He added: “My boss called me saying that was good work but that I risked my life by saving the aircraft.”

The viral video was uploaded to Twitter by Kevin Klauer, CEO of the American Osteopathic Association.

Klauer captioned the clip: “Crazy event at ORD. Heads up safety move by a ramp worker!”

Many took to the social media platform to praise the enterprising worker who brought an end to the airport chaos.

“Kudos to the ramp worker who saved the airline hundreds of thousands of dollars,” one wrote.

Another added: “Talk about nick of time. That was the last circuit, it was going to nail the plane in about two seconds.”

Some Twitter fans decided to put their own take on it and added various soundtracks, from Star Wars music to Benny Hill.

Earlier this week, the terrifying moment a plane began to break apart mid-flight was captured on film by a passenger.

The United Airlines plane flying from Denver to Orlando had to circle back and make an unplanned landing following the incident. Footage shows the moment passengers realised the engine was coming apart while they flew.

It is reported that the incident happened when the aircraft’s engine casing unexpectedly popped open mid-flight, causing concern amongst passengers.

source: express.co.uk