A runway incident at Los Angeles International Airport involving the Gonzaga men’s basketball team wasn’t a “near miss” and instead has been sensationalized by media, according to executives at aircraft owner and operator Key Lime Air.

Footage that showed an LAX air traffic control official shouting “stop” three times toward Key Lime’s pilots—as the charter aircraft approached a departing Delta plane—received millions of views on social media after first emerging on an aviation YouTube channel.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is investigating the event, as is standard for runway incursions. “Air traffic controllers directed Key Lime Air Flight 563 to hold short of crossing a runway at Los Angeles International Airport because a second aircraft was taking off from the runway at the time,” the FAA wrote in a statement. “When the Embraer E135 jet proceeded to cross the hold bars, air traffic controllers told the pilots to stop. The jet never crossed the runway edge line.”

The incident, which occurred last Friday but went viral online Monday, was described as a “near miss” in many news articles—generating additional scrutiny for a company that denied public allegations of unsafe practices from former pilots in 2023.

“Characterizing this as a ‘near miss’ or ‘near collision’ just seems irresponsible,” Key Lime CEO Cliff Honeycutt said in an email. “Was there an event? Yes. Does ‘anyone’ have all the facts surrounding it yet? No, absolutely not.”

Honeycutt said the private jet chartering company has “no interest in dodging or downplaying our responsibility” and will continue to review the matter with the FAA.

He added, though, that “our aircraft stopped well short of the runway in question,” and thus the controversy has been misconstrued.

“While still considered to be a ‘runway incursion,’ this event would seem to illustrate the effectiveness of the countless programs, systems and resources that have been put in place over the last couple decades to address this inevitable risk in the industry,” Honeycutt added.

A Gonzaga athletic department spokesperson said passengers weren’t aware of the frenzied communication between air traffic control and pilots after landing at LAX ahead of a basketball game against UCLA. They declined to comment on the history of the school’s relationship with Key Lime or whether it would reevaluate the partnership.

“We understand that the incident at LAX is under investigation and we will review this information as it becomes available,” Gonzaga athletic department senior director of communications Jamie Aitken wrote in a statement. “Our team members aboard the aircraft were unaware of the situation as it occurred, and we are grateful that the incident ended safely for all.”

A notable difference between Key Lime and many of its competitors is that it owns and maintains its own airplanes. Other companies—especially smaller outfits—tend to lease jets.

On its website, Key Lime writes that this approach lets it “control its stringent operational and maintenance programs to the highest standards.”

Last year, however, the practice came under scrutiny when multiple pilots alleged the company neglected mechanical problems.

Speaking on the record to Colorado television station KRDO in 2023, former Key Lime pilot Dionys Beck said, “Your instruments are going out on you, and you know you start realizing that happens more than once, and over and over again, and multiple times in the same plane to different people.”

Key Lime, which had sued the pilots for allegedly breaking their contracts with the company prematurely to secure better deals elsewhere, denied wrongdoing at the time.

Honeycutt and Key Lime senior VP of corporate strategy Jon Coleman said the firm has since reached a private out-of-court settlement that found the pilots’ safety allegations meritless. The pilots agreed to provide payment for leaving the organization, Coleman added.

However, Andrew Swan, who represented the pilots, denied that the case concluded with a definitive answer on Key Lime’s safety standards. He did not comment on whether the pilots compensated Key Lime as a result of the contractual claims.

“While I’m limited in what I can say, it is simply untrue for a Key Lime Air executive to assert that the former pilots’ safety reports were found to be meritless,” Swan wrote in an email.

Because of the confidentiality terms of the pre-trial settlement, neither side could provide Sportico with documents from the outcome.

Key Lime is part of a growing sports charter sector incorporating more college programs, as scattered conference realignment and nonconference events increase the need to fly longer distances.

While the NBA negotiates league-wide charter deals with Delta, and MLB and NHL clubs lean on 30 years of experience building individual partnerships with private chartering companies, NCAA programs less familiar with the sector are having to scramble for accommodations. And with a pay-for-play model developing within athletic departments, travel organizers within some athletic departments are likely to face increasing budget pressures.

Key Lime officials say the public’s perspective of the Gonzaga incident will shift as the investigation plays out.

“It is very interesting … how the most sensational news stories disappear into thin air as facts are discovered,” Honeycutt said. “It will be no different here.”