Passenger jet narrowly misses truck on runway

An Australian passenger jet narrowly missed a truck on the runway while taking off with 123 people on board, officials said today.

The plane was travelling at about 180mph and missed the truck by seconds in the June 18 incident at Perth airport.

The truck swerved off the runway after the driver saw the approaching jet in the rearview mirror, according to the report.

Qantas Airways said an investigation was being conducted into the incident involving one of its Boeing 737s on a domestic flight to Adelaide.

‘‘As the plane was taking off it noticed a sweeper on the edge of the runway, which then turned away,’’ said a Qantas spokeswoman, who declined to be named.

The truck, which cleans runways, was apparently cleared by air traffic control to drive on the runway.

The airline declined to comment further, saying the matter was under investigation.