Pacific-Southwest-Airlines-Flug 182
Vorlage:Crash frame Vorlage:Crash title Vorlage:Crash image Vorlage:Crash infobox Vorlage:Aircraft title Vorlage:Aircraft infobox Vorlage:Aircraft infobox Vorlage:End frame PSA Flight 182 was a Pacific Southwest Airlines commercial flight that flew on a Sacramento-Los Angeles-San Diego route. Following a mid-air collision, the flight crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, killing all 135 on board, plus the two men on board a small aircraft and seven persons on the ground, on September 25, 1978.
At 9:01 a.m. on that day, N533PS, a Boeing 727-214 designated as PSA Flight 182, was over the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, beginning its final approach into Lindbergh Field. A Cessna 172, flown by two licensed pilots (not by a single student pilot as often incorrectly cited), was overtaken by the faster jetliner and was struck by the right wing of Boeing jetliner, sending both aircraft crashing into the neighborhood below.
The subsequent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the failure of the PSA flight crew to follow proper Air Traffic Control (ATC) procedures. The PSA jetliner's crew lost sight of the Cessna, in contravention to the instruction to "keep visual separation from that traffic". Serious errors on the part of ATC were also named as a contributing factor. Additionally, the Cessna pilots, for reasons unknown, did not maintain their assigned heading after completing a practice instrument approach.
The PSA pilots reported that they had the Cessna in sight, although cockpit voice recordings revealed that shortly thereafter the PSA pilots no longer kept the Cessna in sight and were speculating about its position. A study conducted by Boeing determined that the Cessna's target should have remained visible for sufficient time to correct the collision situation.
Of the two licensed pilots in the Cessna, one, Martin B. Kazy Jr., possesed single-engine, multi-engine and instrument flight ratings, as well as a commercial certificate and an instrument flight instructor certificate. The other, David T. Boswell possessed single-engine, multi-engine ratings and a commercial certificate and was at the time of the accident, practicing instrument flight under the instruction of Kazy in pursuit of his instrument rating.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended the immediate implementation of a terminal radar service area around Lindbergh-San Diego International airport to provide for the separation of aircraft, and also recommended an immediate review of control procedures for all busy terminal areas. The impact of these recommendations is reflected in today's arrangement of airspace around Lindbergh Field -- a Class B area (formerly referred to as a Terminal Control Area) now exists around Lindbergh to provide for the separation of all aircraft operating in the area.
All 128 passengers and 7 crew members on PSA Flight 182, both men on board the Cessna and 7 people on the ground were killed. Nine additional people on the ground were injured and 22 homes were destroyed or damaged. The PSA Flight 182 disaster remains the single worst aircraft accident in California history.
One of the victims on board PSA Flight 182 was Alan Tetelman, president of Failure Analysis, enroute to investigate a U.S. Navy plane crash.
See also
- List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- Certification of Pilots in the United States
External links
- AirDisaster.com special report on the PSA Flight 182 disaster
- Article about Flight 182 on PSA History Page
- The full report of the NTSB investigation into the PSA Flight 182 accident
- Notable California Aviation Disasters Website listing significant aviation accidents in California