VIDEO: Runaway catering cart spirals out of control and nearly hits airplane at Chicago airport

• Video footage of a runaway catering cart on the tarmac at Chicago O'Hare International Airport showed airport employees scrambling to subdue the vehicle.
• A driver did not appear to be behind the wheel as the video footage was taken.
• The cart seemed at risk of crashing into the nose of an airplane parked nearby before a vehicle being driven by an airport employee collided with the runaway cart, bringing it to a stop.
• In a statement to Business Insider, American Airlines said initial reports indicated that the catering cart's accelerator got "stuck," causing it to lose control.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

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Video footage of a runaway catering cart on the tarmac at Chicago O'Hare International Airport showed airport employees scrambling to subdue the vehicle.

The footage was obtained and shared on Twitter by Dr. Kevin Klauer, the chief executive of the American Osteopathic Association, on Monday afternoon.

A driver did not appear to be behind the wheel as the video footage was taken. The cart appeared close to crashing into the nose of an airplane parked nearby before a ground-support-equipment vehicle being driven by an airport employee collided with the runaway cart, bringing it to a stop.

What appeared to be cans and bottles were strewn about the tarmac as the cart jettisoned its cargo.

"American Airlines is investigating an incident involving a catering truck this afternoon at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport," the company said in a statement to Business Insider. "Preliminary reports indicate that the accelerator became stuck and caused the catering cart to lose control."

The airline said no company employees were injured and the incident caused one 10-minute flight delay.

"We appreciate the quick action of our team member who stopped the vehicle," the airline added in its statement. "Safety is our top priority and we are working with our partners to investigate the incident."

O'Hare is the busiest airport in the US, with roughly 900,000 flight operations in 2018.

—Kevin Klauer DO, EJD (@Emergidoc) September 30, 2019

Read more: A passenger filmed the engine cover coming off a United Airlines plane, which was forced to turn back to the airport