On the evening of Friday, February 1, 1991, USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737-300, collided with SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprop aircraft, upon landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). As Flight 1493 was on final approach, the local controller was distracted, though air traffic was not heavy at LAX, by a series of abnormalities, including a misplaced flight progress strip and an aircraft that had inadvertently switched off the tower frequency. The SkyWest flight was told to taxi into takeoff position, while the USAir flight was landing on the same runway.
Upon landing, the 737 collided with the smaller turboprop Metroliner, which was crushed beneath the larger USAir jet as it continued down the runway, caught fire, and veered into an airport fire station. Rescue workers arrived in minutes and began to evacuate the 737, but because of the intense fire, three of the 737's six exits were unusable, including both front exits; front passengers could only use one of the two overwing exits, causing a bottleneck. All 12 people aboard the smaller plane were killed, along with an eventual total of 23 of the 89 occupants of the 737, with 20 on the 737 caused by asphyxiation in the fire. One passenger from the 737 died from injuries 31 days later.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the probable cause of the accident was the procedures in use at the LAX control tower, which provided inadequate redundancy, leading to a loss of situational awareness by the local controller, and inadequate oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for failing to supervise the control tower managers. The crash led directly to the NTSB's recommendation of using different runways for takeoffs and landings at LAX.
Background Aircraft and crew USAir Flight 1493 was a scheduled service from Syracuse, New York, making stops at Washington, DC, Columbus, Ohio, and LAX, before continuing to San Francisco. Copy at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University. On February 1, 1991, Flight 1493 was operated using a Boeing 737-300 (registration ); after a crew change in Washington, DC, it was under the command of Captain Colin Franklin Shaw (48), a highly experienced pilot with about 16,300 total flight hours (including more than 4,300 hours on the Boeing 737), and First Officer David T. Kelly (32), who had about 4,300 total flight hours, with 982 hours on the Boeing 737. Flying into LAX, the aircraft had 89 people on board (83 passengers, four flight attendants, and the two pilots).
On February 1, 1991, SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569 was operated using a twin-engined Fairchild Metroliner (registration ). The flight was scheduled to depart LAX on the final leg of a multicity schedule, and was bound for Palmdale, California, with 10 passengers and two pilots aboard. The aircraft did not carry a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or a flight data recorder (FDR), as it was not required to do so at the time. Both of Flight 5569's pilots had significant experience; Captain Andrew Lucas (32), had roughly 8,800 flight hours (with 2,101 of them on the Metroliner), and First Officer Frank Prentice (45), had over 8,000 flight hours, including 1,363 hours on the Metroliner.
Airport LAX has four parallel runways, with the two runways and associated taxiways north of the terminal called the North Complex.
Air traffic control The air traffic controller (ATC) in charge of takeoffs and landings in the LAX tower (the local controller) was Robin Lee Wascher. She had been working in the role since 1982, and began working at LAX in 1989. The clearance delivery controller in charge of taxiing aircraft was Francita Vandiver, who had previously served as an ATC in the US Navy. She had been working at LAX since 1988.
Accident details
Flight
Skywest 5569 was cleared by ATC Wascher in the LAX tower to taxi to Runway 24L, moving from gate 32 to the runway via taxiways Kilo, 48, Tango, and 45.
Immediately prior to SkyWest 5569 reaching runway 24L, a Wings West aircraft had landed on 24R and was awaiting permission to cross 24L and taxi to the terminal. The local controller attempted to contact the Wings West aircraft, but the crew had changed frequencies and did not answer, distracting Wascher as she attempted to reestablish communications. Shortly after 6 PM local time, as USAir 1493 was on final approach to LAX, the SkyWest Metroliner was cleared by the local controller to taxi into position and hold on Runway 24L at the intersection of taxiway 45, some up from the runway threshold.Kilroy, Chris. . Retrieved on December 16, 2009. After four attempts by the local controller, the Wings West aircraft finally responded to the tower and apologized for switching frequencies. Wascher then cleared the USAir flight to land on 24L, even though the SkyWest Metroliner was still holding in takeoff position on the runway: Abridged communication between USAir 1493 and the controllers, and among the USAir flight crew# = Expletive; * = Unintelligible word; () = Questionable text; [] = Commentary; Shading = Radio communicationTimeSourceContent18:05:44Los Angeles towerSkyWest seven twenty five tower.18:05:47SkyWest Airlines 725Ah seven twenty five go ahead18:05:48Los Angeles towerYes sir. You're holding short, is that correct?18:05:50SkyWest Airlines 725Yes ma'am, we're holding short.18:05:51Los Angeles towerThank-you. USAir fourteen ninety-three cleared to land runway two four left.18:05:55CaptainCleared to land two four left fourteen ninety-three.
With this activity ongoing, another Wings West aircraft, a Metroliner similar to SkyWest 5569, called the tower reporting they were ready for takeoff. Wascher queried this aircraft about their position, and they told her they were holding on a taxiway short of 24L. The flight progress strip for this flight had not yet been given to Wascher by controller Vandiver (another distraction), and Wascher mistakenly thought this Metroliner was SkyWest 5569, and thus that the runway was clear of aircraft. The first officer of the USAir flight recalled hearing this conversation, but did not remember anyone being cleared to hold on the runway. Meanwhile, Wascher was busy handling other flights:
# = Expletive; * = Unintelligible word; () = Questionable text; [] = Commentary; Shading = Radio communicationTimeSourceContent18:06:04USAir 2858Clear to land.18:06:07First officer* looks real good *.18:06:08Wings West 5072Tower wings west fifty seventy two is ready for takeoff.18:06:09CaptainAhhh, you're coming outta five hundred feet bug plus twelve, sink is seven.18:06:13Los Angeles TowerWings fifty seventy two?18:06:15Wings West 5072Affirmative.18:06:16[Sound of click]18:06:18Los Angeles TowerWings fifty seventy two, are you at forty seven or full length?18:06:19CaptainLights (on).18:06:20Wings West 5072We're at full length.18:06:21Los Angeles TowerOkay.18:06:26Los Angeles TowerHold short.18:06:27Wings West 5072Roger, holding short. 18:06:30Unknown* *.18:06:30Los Angeles TowerWings fifty seventy two say your squawk.18:06:33Wings West 5072Forty six fifty three.18:06:46Wings West 5212Los Angeles tower wings west fifty two twelve with you on a visual for two four right.18:06:55Los Angeles TowerSkyWest seven twenty five taxi into position and hold runway two four left.
The USAir plane touched down near the runway threshold. Just as the nose was being lowered, the first officer noticed SkyWest 5569 on the runway and applied maximum braking, but it was too late. The following was recorded on the CVR:
# = Expletive; * = Unintelligible word; () = Questionable text; [] = Commentary; Shading = Radio communicationTimeSourceContent18:06:57Voice unidentified[unintelligible remark]18:06:58SkyWest Airlines 725Seven twenty five position and hold two four left.18:06:59[Sound of impact]End of recording
The USAir plane slammed into the Metroliner, crushing it beneath its fuselage. The 737 proceeded to skid down the runway, then veered off the left side and came to rest on the far side of the taxiway against a closed fire station building, where it eventually caught fire. Large debris from the Metroliner – including its tail, wings, and right engine – were found on the runway and between the runway and the abandoned fire station.
Fatalities and injuries
The 35 dead included all 12 people (10 passengers and both crew members) on SkyWest 5569, and 23 of the 89 aboard the USAir 1493 (21 passengers, Captain Shaw, and 22-year-old lead flight attendant Deanna Bethea). Two of the USAir fatalities were passengers who initially survived the crash, but died from burn injuries three and 31 days after the crash.
Captain Shaw was killed when the nose of the aircraft struck the abandoned fire station, crushing the section of the cockpit where his seat was located. Of the remaining passengers and crew aboard USAir 1493, two crew members and 10 passengers sustained serious injuries, 2 crew members and 15 passengers sustained minor injuries, and 37 passengers received no injuries. Billionaire businessman David H. Koch was among the survivors.
The majority of fatalities aboard USAir 1493 occurred to those seated in the front of the plane, where the post crash fire originated in the forward cargo hold, fed by a combination of fuel from the wreckage of SkyWest 5569 and gaseous oxygen from the 737's damaged crew oxygen system. Everyone seated in row 6 or forward was either killed or sustained major injuries, while everyone aft of row 17 escaped, some with minor injuries. Only two passengers and one crew member managed to escape from the forward service (R1) door, while the main cabin (L1) door was inoperable due to damage. Only two passengers used the left over-wing exit before the fire became too intense outside the aircraft. The majority of the survivors exited via the right over-wing exit, with the rest of the surviving cabin occupants escaping through the rear service (R2) door. The rear passenger (L2) door was briefly opened during the course of the accident, but was quickly closed due to the spreading fire on that side of the aircraft. Multiple issues slowed the evacuation from the right over-wing door, including a passenger seated in the exit row who could not open the door, a brief scuffle between two men at the exit, and the seatback of the exit window seat being folded forward, partially obstructing the exit.
From the location of the bodies, only two victims on USAir 1493 were found in their seats, while authorities believe that 17 had unbuckled their seat belts and died from smoke inhalation while making their way to the exits. According to James Burnett, who headed the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation team, "I can't think of a recent accident where this many people have been up and out of their seats and didn't make it out." The captain was one of the few people who died of blunt force trauma, a blow to the head when the bulkhead collapsed as the aircraft collided with the firehouse. The first officer was rescued through the cockpit windows by some of the first firefighters to arrive on the accident scene.
Shaw was found to have traces of phenobarbital in his blood. The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits use of the sedative before flying. The drug was prescribed for irritable bowel syndrome by Shaw's physicians, who said they had warned him not to use the medication while flying.
Investigation First Officer David Kelly, who was flying the USAir 1493 during the accident leg, reported that he did not see SkyWest 5569 until he lowered the nose of his aircraft onto the runway after landing. Kelly also said that he applied the brakes, but did not have enough time for evasive action. Statements made by passengers who survived the crash were consistent with this testimony."LAX Runway Collision" . Retrieved on December 16, 2009.