PACIFIC SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FLT 182
25 September 1978. A Cessna 172 owned by Gibbs Flite Center departed from Montgomery Field at 08.16 PST with the intention to fly to Lindbergh Field to make two ILS practice landings at runway 09. At 09.00 the pilot of the Cessna heard he had to stay VFR at or below 3500ft, heading 070. PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727-214 airliner from Sacramento via LA International Airport to San Diego, cleared for a runway 27 approach, was notified that there was traffic in front of him. PSA 182 immedeatly reported "traffic in sight" and was ordered to maintain visual separation and to contact Lindbergh tower. Lindbergh tower also warned PSA 182 : "traffic, twelve o'clock, one mile, a Cessna". PSA 182 had lost sight of the airplane and reported: "think he's passing off to our right". The crew didn't know what the exact position of the Cessna was at that time. At 09.01:28 the so-called conflict alert warning in the San Diego Approach Control tower started to shriek, pointing out that there was a chance of a MAC between PSA 182 and the Cessna. At 09.01:47 the approach controller warned the Cessna that traffic was near. That same moment the two planes collided. Flight 182 was decending and overtook the Cessna, while the Cessna was climbing. The Cessna exploded immedeatly, after the collision with the rightwing of the Boeing 727. The Boeing started a steep right turn and crashed in a suburb.
Probable cause: The failure of the crew of flight PSA 182 to
maintain visual separation with the Cessna, including the fact
that they didn't notify the ATC when the visual contact with the
Cessna was lost. Which also contributed to the accident, was the
fact that the ATC didn't inform the crew of flight PSA 182 of the
direction the Cessna flew in, the fact that the pilot of the
Cessna didn't flew the right heading and the wrong reaction of
the ATC after the sound of the conflict alert warning. 135 people
died when PSA 182 crashed at Dwight street and Boundary street in
North Park, San Diego. The Cessna 172 crashed near University
avenue, 5 blocks away...
Pictures
| 09.00:38 | Tower | PSA one eighty-two, Lindbergh tower, ah, traffic twelve o'clock one mile a Cessna |
| 09.00:44 | PSA 182 | Okay, we had it there a minute ago. |
| 09.00:47 | Tower | One eighty-two, roger. |
| 09.00:50 | PSA 182 | I think he's pass(sed) off to our right. |
| 09.00:51 | Tower | Yeah. |
| 09.00:53 | Tower | How far are you going to take your downwind one eighty-two, company traffic is waiting for departure. |
| 09.00:57 | PSA 182 | Ah probably about three to four miles. |
| 09.00:59 | Tower | Okay. |
| 09.01:07 | Tower | PSA one eighty-two, cleared to land. |
| 09.01:08 | PSA 182 | One eighty-two's cleared to land. |
| 09.01:56 | PSA 182 | Tower, we're going down, this is PSA. |
| 09.01:57 | Tower | Okay, we'll call the equipment for you in. |
| 09.01:58 | PSA 182 | PSA |
Sound
Listen to the Air Traffic
Control tape (*.wav file, 535 kB)
