1986 — Aug 31, Aeronaves de Mexico Flight 498 and Piper collide, Cerritos, CA — 82

— 82  NTSB. Collision of Aeronaves De Mexico, S.A. McDonnell…and Piper. 7-7-1987.

–64 on Aeromexico Air Flight 498 (all on-board — crew of 6 and 58 passengers).

—  3  Piper (Pilot and 2 passengers).

–15  On-ground when Aeromexico 498 hit the ground in a residential neighborhood.

— 82  Notable California Aviation Disasters.  “The 1980s.” Oct 23, 2008 update.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB Executive Summary: “On August 31, 1986, about 1152 Pacific daylight time, Aeronaves de Mexico, S.A.,[1] flight 498, a DC-9-32, Mexican Registration XA-JED, and a Piper PA-28-181, United States registration N4891F, collided over Cerritos, California. Flight 498, a regularly scheduled passenger flight, was on an instrument Flight Rules flight plan from Tijuana, Mexico, to Los Angeles International Airport, California and was under radar control by the Los Angeles terminal radar control facility. The Piper airplane was proceeding from Torrance, California toward Big Bear, California, under Visual Flight Rules, and was not in radio contact with any air traffic control facility when the accident occurred.

 

“The collision occurred inside the Los Angeles Terminal Control Area near 6,560 feet mean sea level. At the time of collision, the sky was clear, and the reported visibility was 14 miles. The air traffic controller providing service to flight 498 did not observe the Piper airplane’s radar return on his display and therefore did not provide any traffic advisory to flight 498 concerning the location of the Piper airplane before the collision. Both airplanes fell to the ground within the city limits of Cerritos. Five houses were destroyed and seven other houses were damaged by airplane wreckage and post impact fire. Fifty-eight passengers and six crewmembers on the DC-9 were killed; the pilot and 2 passengers on the Piper were killed; 15 people on the ground were killed and 8 others received minor injuries.

 

NTSB Probable Cause: “The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the limitations of the air traffic control system to provide collision protection, through both traffic control procedures and automated redundancy. Factors contributing to the accident were (1) the inadvertent and unauthorized entry of the PA-28 into the Los Angeles Terminal Control Area and (2) the limitations of the “see and avoid” concept to ensure traffic separation under the conditions of the conflict.”

 

Notable California Aviation Disasters: “Number 4 of California’s “10 Worst Crashes”

 

“….On a clear, cloudless Sunday morning, a Piper PA-28-181 Archer aircraft…carrying a family of three, departed Torrance Municipal Airport on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight to Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains. As the small plane flew eastward, it inadvertently strayed into the Los Angeles Terminal Control Area (TCA) without making radio contact with air traffic control (ATC).  Also, a response from the Piper’s transponder was not displayed on radar screens due to an equipment configuration.

 

“At the same time, Aeromexico Flight 498, a Douglas DC-9-32 jetliner (XA-JED), was inbound to Los Angeles International Airport on a flight from Mexico City, with intermediate stops at Guadalajara, Loreto and Tijuana, carrying 58 passengers and a crew of six.

 

“As the DC-9 descended over Cerritos, the Piper Archer converged on the jetliner, slamming into its tail at a 90-degree angle. The impact sheared off the small plane’s cabin roof, decapitating all three occupants of the craft, and sent the Piper plunging onto an unoccupied playground at Cerritos Elementary School below.

 

“The Aeromexico DC-9 faltered and, no longer controllable, plummeted inverted into a residential neighborhood near the intersection of Holmes Avenue and Ashworth Place. The impact, explosion and ensuing fires destroyed 11 homes, damaged seven others, and killed 15 persons in the neighborhood.  All 64 aboard the DC-9 also died in the jetliner’s fiery impact.

 

“The catastrophe was blamed on inadequate radar approach/departure procedures and air traffic control equipment.

 

“The worst aviation disaster in Los Angeles County history….” (Notable California Aviation Disasters.  “The 1980s.” Oct 23, 2008 update.)

 

Sources

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Collision of Aeronaves De Mexico, S.A. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, XA-JED and Piper PA-28-181, N4891F . Washington, DC: NTSB (AAR-87-07), report adopted 7-7-1987. Accessed 12-31-2016 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AAR8707.aspx

 

Notable California Aviation Disasters.  “The 1980s.” 10-23-2008 update. Accessed 10/20/2009 at: http://www.jaydeebee1.com/crash80s.html  Inactive when checked 10-22-2016.

 

 

[1] Operating as Aeromexico Airlines.