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. On February 1, 1991, Flight 1493 was operated using a Boeing 737-300 (registration ); after a crew change in Washington, DC,
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 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. 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:
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="3" |Abridged communication between USAir 1493 and the controllers, and among the USAir flight crew
|-
| colspan="3" |# = Expletive; * = Unintelligible word; () = Questionable text; [] = Commentary; Shading = Radio communication
|-
!Time
!Source
!Content
|-
|18:05:44
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |SkyWest seven twenty five tower.
|-
|18:05:47
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |SkyWest Airlines 725
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Ah seven twenty five go ahead
|-
|18:05:48
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Yes sir. You're holding short, is that correct?
|-
|18:05:50
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |SkyWest Airlines 725
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Yes ma'am, we're holding short.
|-
|18:05:51
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Thank-you. USAir fourteen ninety-three cleared to land runway two four left.
|-
|18:05:55
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Captain
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Cleared 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:
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="3" |# = Expletive; * = Unintelligible word; () = Questionable text; [] = Commentary; Shading = Radio communication
|-
!Time
!Source
!Content
|-
|18:06:04
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |USAir 2858
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Clear to land.
|-
|18:06:07
|First officer
|* looks real good *.
|-
|18:06:08
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings West 5072
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Tower wings west fifty seventy two is ready for takeoff.
|-
|18:06:09
|Captain
|Ahhh, you're coming outta five hundred feet bug plus twelve, sink is seven.
|-
|18:06:13
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles Tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings fifty seventy two?
|-
|18:06:15
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings West 5072
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Affirmative.
|-
|18:06:16
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 1.25em;"|[Sound of click]
|-
|18:06:18
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles Tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings fifty seventy two, are you at forty seven or full length?
|-
|18:06:19
|Captain
|Lights (on).
|-
|18:06:20
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings West 5072
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |We're at full length.
|-
|18:06:21
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles Tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Okay.
|-
|18:06:26
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles Tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Hold short.
|-
|18:06:27
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings West 5072
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Roger, holding short.
|-
|18:06:30
|Unknown
|* *.
|-
|18:06:30
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles Tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings fifty seventy two say your squawk.
|-
|18:06:33
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings West 5072
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Forty six fifty three.
|-
|18:06:46
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Wings West 5212
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles tower wings west fifty two twelve with you on a visual for two four right.
|-
|18:06:55
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Los Angeles Tower
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |SkyWest 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:
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="3" |# = Expletive; * = Unintelligible word; () = Questionable text; [] = Commentary; Shading = Radio communication
|-
!Time
!Source
!Content
|-
|18:06:57
|Voice unidentified
|[unintelligible remark]
|-
|18:06:58
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |SkyWest Airlines 725
| style="background:#E8F6F3;" |Seven twenty five position and hold two four left.
|-
|18:06:59
| colspan="2" style="font-size: 1.25em;"|[Sound of impact]
|-
| colspan="3" style="font-size: 1.25em;"|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.
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. 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.
Local controller Wascher, who cleared both aircraft to use the same runway, testified before the NTSB and accepted blame for causing the crash. She said she originally thought the landing USAir plane had been hit by a bomb, then "realized something went wrong... I went to the supervisor and I said, 'I think this (the SkyWest plane) is what USAir hit.'" She testified that rooftop lights in her line of sight caused glare in the tower, making seeing small planes difficult at the intersection where the SkyWest plane was positioned. Just before the accident, she confused the SkyWest plane with another commuter airliner that was on a taxiway near the end of the runway. Making matters more difficult, the ground radar at LAX was not working on the day of the accident.
The NTSB's investigation of the crash revealed that the cockpit crew of the landing USAir jet could not see the commuter plane, which blended in with other airport lights. The NTSB cited LAX's procedures which placed much of the responsibility for runways on the local controllers, which directly led to the loss of situational awareness by the local controller. The NTSB also noted that during the previous performance review, a supervisor had noted four deficiencies in the local controller who ultimately worked the accident aircraft. These deficiencies were not addressed prior to the accident, and two of the deficiencies were apparent in the accident sequence—her loss of situational awareness and aircraft misidentification.
Aftermath
LAX now prioritizes the use of the outboard runways (24R and 25L) for landings and the inboard runways (24L and 25R) for takeoffs, though mixed operations may occur in certain situations. Additionally, a new control tower was built at LAX, in a more central location, significantly taller and with a better vantage point, allowing visibility of all runways and critical taxiways at the airport.
Before this accident, the FAA issued a ruling that required airlines to upgrade the flammability standards of materials on board, but the USAir plane had been built before the effective date of those requirements and had not yet been modernized. It was scheduled to be upgraded within the next year. By 2009, all aircraft operating in the United States were compliant.
Air traffic controller Wascher, who bore the immediate responsibility for the crash, was adjudged to have made an error in adverse circumstances that any air traffic controller could have made and was not prosecuted or fired. She declined an offer to return to air traffic control and took a desk job at the FAA's western regional office.
Dramatization
The story of the disaster was featured in a ninth-season episode of the Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic series Mayday. The episode, titled "Cleared for Disaster", explores the events surrounding the crash and its investigation, including interviews with NTSB investigators, first responders, survivors, and witnesses. It was featured again in the show's twenty-fifth season, in an episode titled "No Exit."
It is featured in season 1, episode 3, of the TV show Why Planes Crash, in an episode called "Human Error".
TLC also aired a segment on the crash in the 1990s special called Terror in the Sky. It featured an interview with billionaire David Koch who survived the accident, as well as footage of the aftermath of the collision.
See also
- Tenerife airport disaster – in 1977, the deadliest runway incursion in history, involving two 747s in dense fog
- 1983 Madrid Airport runway collision – a 1983 fatal runway incursion involving a DC-9 and a 727
- 1990 Wayne County Airport runway collision – a 1990 fatal runway incursion involving both a DC-9 and a 727
- 2001 Linate Airport runway collision – a 2001 fatal runway incursion involving an MD-87 and a Cessna Citation CJ2
- United Express Flight 5925 – a 1996 fatal runway incursion involving a Beechcraft 1900C and a King Air plane.
- 2024 Haneda Airport runway collision – a 2024 fatal runway incursion on runway 16L/34R at Haneda Airport involving an A350 and a coast guard DHC-8