Difference between revisions of "Aeroméxico Flight 498"

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{{Infobox Aircraft accident
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|name    = Aeroméxico Flight 498<br/>N4891F, callsign Piper 4891 Foxtrot
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|image  = Cerritos Air Disaster.jpg
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|caption = The scene of the crash of Aeroméxico Flight 498.
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|date    = [[August 31]], [[1986]]
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|type    = [[Mid-air collision]]
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|site    = [[Cerritos, California]]
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|total_injuries      = 1 (ground)
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|total_fatalities    = 82 (incuding 15 ground)
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|plane1_type        = [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]]-32
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|plane1_origin      = [[Mexico City International Airport|Mexico City Int'l Airport]]<br/>[[Mexico]]
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|plane1_stopover0    = [[Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport|Don Miguel Hidalgo y<br/>Costilla Int'l Airport]]<br/>[[Guadalajara]], [[Jalisco]]
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|plane1_stopover1    = [[Loreto Airport]]<br/>[[Baja California Sur]]
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|plane1_laststopover = [[General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport|General Abelardo L.<br/>Rodríguez Int'l Airport]]<br/>[[Tijuana]], [[Baja California]]
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|plane1_destination  = [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles Int'l Airport]]<br/>[[California]], [[United States|USA]]
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|plane1_operator    = [[Aeroméxico]]
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|plane1_tailnum      = {{airreg|XA|JED|disaster}}
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|plane1_name        = ''Hermosillo''
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|plane1_passengers  = 58
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|plane1_crew        = 6
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|plane1_survivors    = 0
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|plane2_type        = [[Piper Cherokee|Piper PA-28]]-181 Archer
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|plane2_origin      = [[Zamperini Field]]<br/>[[Torrance, California]]
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|plane2_destination  = [[Big Bear City Airport]]<br/>[[Big Bear Lake, California]]
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|plane2_operator    = Private
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|plane2_tailnum      = N4891F
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|plane2_passengers  = 2
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|plane2_crew        = 1
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|plane2_survivors    = 0
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}}
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'''[[Aeroméxico]] Flight 498''', registration [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19860831-0 XA-JED], was a [[Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-32]] en route from [[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]] to [[Los Angeles International Airport]], [[Los Angeles, California]] (with stops in [[Guadalajara]], [[Loreto]], and [[Tijuana]]<ref>"[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,144979,00.html?iid=chix-sphere Collision in the "Birdcage"]," ''[[TIME (magazine)|TIME]]</ref>) on [[August 31]], [[1986]]. '''N4891F, callsign Piper 4891 Foxtrot''', was a privately-operated [[Piper Cherokee|Piper PA-28-181 Archer]] owned by the Kramer family en route from [[Torrance, California|Torrance]] to [[Big Bear City, California]]. The two aircraft collided in mid-air over [[Cerritos, California]], killing all 67 aboard both aircraft and 15 people on the ground. In addition, 8 persons on the ground sustained minor injuries from the crash [http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR87-07.pdf] (8/115).
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<div style="overflow:auto;height:1px;">
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[[Date:=1986-08-31]]
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[[Aircraft_Type:=DC-9]]
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[[Airline:=Aeroméxico]]
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[[Airline_Code:=AM]]
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[[State_Code:=CA]]
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[[Airport_Code:=LAX]]
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[[Accident_Cause:=Air traffic]]
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[[Miles_Traveled:=135]]
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[[Fatalities:=64]]
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[[Survivors:=0]]
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</div>
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At approximately 11:46 AM, Flight 498 began its descent into Los Angeles with 58 passengers and six crew members aboard. Minutes earlier, N4891F, carrying a pilot and two passengers, departed Torrance. At 11:52 AM, the Piper's engine collided with the left [[horizontal stabilizer]] of the DC-9; this sheared off the top of the Piper's cockpit, killing the pilot and two passengers.
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The DC-9 inverted and fell to the earth in a residential neighborhood at Holmes Avenue and Ashworth Place in Cerritos <ref> "Aircraft Collision Over Los Angeles Suburb," (diagram) ''Daily Herald'' (Chicago), September 2, 1986, p6 </ref>, killing 15 on the ground and all 64 passengers and crew. The impact and fire destroyed five houses and damaged seven houses. A fire sparked by the crash contributed significantly to the damage. The heavily damaged Piper fell into Cerritos Elementary School's playground.
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When the air traffic controller assigned to Flight 498 could not find the flight, he called [[American Airlines]] Flight 333, incoming into Los Angeles, for assistance. The pilot on AA333 replied said that he saw a smokescreen, indicating that 498 crashed.<ref name="OutofSight">"Out of Sight," ''[[Mayday (TV series)|Mayday]]''</ref>
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The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] investigation found that N4891F had deviated into the LAX Terminal Control Area. It was out of radio contact with air traffic control, which had been distracted by another flight entering the area. Moreover, the Piper was not equipped with a Mode C [[transponder (aviation)|transponder]] indicating its altitude, and LAX had not been equipped with automatic warning systems. Finally, neither pilot had sighted the other aircraft, even though they were in visual range. When an autopsy revealed significant arterial blockage in the heart of the Piper's pilot, there was public speculation that he had suffered a heart attack, causing incapacitation and contributing to the collision; however, further forensic evidence discounted this, and error on the part of the Piper pilot was determined to be the main contributing factor to the collision.<ref name="OutofSight"/>
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==Aftermath==
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As a result of this accident and other near mid-air collisions (NMAC) in terminal control areas, the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] required all commercial aircraft be equipped with traffic alert and collision avoidance systems ([[Traffic Collision Avoidance System|TCAS]]), and required that light aircraft operating in dense airspaces be equipped with "Mode-C" transponders that could report three-dimensional position.  <ref> Larry Gerber, AP, "1986 Cerritos crash changed the way we fly," ''The Intelligencer Record'' (Doylestown, Pa.), September 1, 1996, p A-13 </ref>
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As a result of the incident, a jury ruled that the airline had no fault. The jury said that Kramer and the FAA each acted equally negligent and held equal responsibility. U.S. District Judge David Kenyon agreed with the notion that the FAA shares responsibility.<ref>"[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1989_616430 Jury divides blame in Aeromexico crash]," ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''</ref>
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==Dramatization==
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This crash was featured in an episode of ''[[Mayday (TV series)|Mayday]]'' (''Air Crash Investigation'', ''Air Emergency'') titled "Out of Sight" in the original version and "Collision over LA" in the ''Air Crash Investigation'' version.
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==Gallery==
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<gallery>
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Image:CerritosAirDisasterImpactPoints.png|[[NTSB]] drawing portraying approximate point of impact
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</gallery>
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==References==
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{{reflist}}
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*[http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR87-07.pdf Aircraft Accident Report], [[National Transportation Safety Board]], adopted [[July 7]], [[1987]]
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*[http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=DCA86AA041A&rpt=fa Brief of Accident], NTSB, adopted [[March 7]], [[1988]],
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* [http://www.aopa.org/asf/asfarticles/2001/sp0101.html Collision Over Cerritos], [[Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association]]
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==External links==
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* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01EEDE1538F932A3575AC0A960958260 California Jet Crash Led to Sweeping Changes] ''[[The New York Times]]''
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* [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/library/history/chapter8.html Story Of Cerritos - Chapter 8 (Aeroméxico Flight 498)]
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*[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,144979,00.html?iid=chix-sphere Collision in the "Birdcage"]
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* "[http://www.sky.com/portal/site/skycom/mysky/article?contentid=1630510 Real Life-Mary Wong] [[Sky Magazine]] October 2007
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* [http://www.eltoroairport.org/news/cerritos.html DC 9 Crashes in Cerritos Residential Area.]
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* [http://www.aopa.org/asf/asfarticles/2001/sp0101.html Landmark Accidents: Collision Over Cerritos]
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* [http://www.discoverychannel.ca/shows/episodedetails.aspx?eid=459&sid=452 Out of Sight - Aeromexico Flight 498]
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{{coor title dms|33|52|05|N|118|02|44|W|region:US-CA_type:landmark_scale:5000}}
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[[Category:1986 in the United States]]
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[[Category:Accidents and incidents on commercial airliners in the United States]]
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[[Category:Airliner crashes caused by pilot error]]
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[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1986]]
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[[Category:Mid-air collisions]]
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[[Category:Cerritos, California]]
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[[Category:Disasters in California]]
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[[nl:Aeromexico-vlucht 498]]
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[[ja:アエロメヒコ航空498便空中衝突事故]]
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[[pl:Katastrofa lotu Aeroméxico 498]]
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[[zh:墨西哥航空498號班機]]

Latest revision as of 03:06, 15 December 2008

Template:Infobox Aircraft accident

Aeroméxico Flight 498, registration XA-JED, was a Douglas DC-9-32 en route from Mexico City, Mexico to Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (with stops in Guadalajara, Loreto, and Tijuana[1]) on August 31, 1986. N4891F, callsign Piper 4891 Foxtrot, was a privately-operated Piper PA-28-181 Archer owned by the Kramer family en route from Torrance to Big Bear City, California. The two aircraft collided in mid-air over Cerritos, California, killing all 67 aboard both aircraft and 15 people on the ground. In addition, 8 persons on the ground sustained minor injuries from the crash [1] (8/115).

1986-08-31 DC-9 Aeroméxico AM CA LAX Air traffic 135 64 0


At approximately 11:46 AM, Flight 498 began its descent into Los Angeles with 58 passengers and six crew members aboard. Minutes earlier, N4891F, carrying a pilot and two passengers, departed Torrance. At 11:52 AM, the Piper's engine collided with the left horizontal stabilizer of the DC-9; this sheared off the top of the Piper's cockpit, killing the pilot and two passengers.

The DC-9 inverted and fell to the earth in a residential neighborhood at Holmes Avenue and Ashworth Place in Cerritos [2], killing 15 on the ground and all 64 passengers and crew. The impact and fire destroyed five houses and damaged seven houses. A fire sparked by the crash contributed significantly to the damage. The heavily damaged Piper fell into Cerritos Elementary School's playground. When the air traffic controller assigned to Flight 498 could not find the flight, he called American Airlines Flight 333, incoming into Los Angeles, for assistance. The pilot on AA333 replied said that he saw a smokescreen, indicating that 498 crashed.[3]

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that N4891F had deviated into the LAX Terminal Control Area. It was out of radio contact with air traffic control, which had been distracted by another flight entering the area. Moreover, the Piper was not equipped with a Mode C transponder indicating its altitude, and LAX had not been equipped with automatic warning systems. Finally, neither pilot had sighted the other aircraft, even though they were in visual range. When an autopsy revealed significant arterial blockage in the heart of the Piper's pilot, there was public speculation that he had suffered a heart attack, causing incapacitation and contributing to the collision; however, further forensic evidence discounted this, and error on the part of the Piper pilot was determined to be the main contributing factor to the collision.[3]

Aftermath

As a result of this accident and other near mid-air collisions (NMAC) in terminal control areas, the Federal Aviation Administration required all commercial aircraft be equipped with traffic alert and collision avoidance systems (TCAS), and required that light aircraft operating in dense airspaces be equipped with "Mode-C" transponders that could report three-dimensional position. [4]

As a result of the incident, a jury ruled that the airline had no fault. The jury said that Kramer and the FAA each acted equally negligent and held equal responsibility. U.S. District Judge David Kenyon agreed with the notion that the FAA shares responsibility.[5]

Dramatization

This crash was featured in an episode of Mayday (Air Crash Investigation, Air Emergency) titled "Out of Sight" in the original version and "Collision over LA" in the Air Crash Investigation version.

Gallery

  • CerritosAirDisasterImpactPoints.png

    NTSB drawing portraying approximate point of impact

References

  1. ^ "Collision in the "Birdcage"," TIME
  2. ^ "Aircraft Collision Over Los Angeles Suburb," (diagram) Daily Herald (Chicago), September 2, 1986, p6
  3. ^ a b "Out of Sight," Mayday
  4. ^ Larry Gerber, AP, "1986 Cerritos crash changed the way we fly," The Intelligencer Record (Doylestown, Pa.), September 1, 1996, p A-13
  5. ^ "Jury divides blame in Aeromexico crash," Houston Chronicle

External links

Coordinates: Template:Coor dms

nl:Aeromexico-vlucht 498 ja:アエロメヒコ航空498便空中衝突事故 pl:Katastrofa lotu Aeroméxico 498 zh:墨西哥航空498號班機

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