- ACCIDENT DETAILS
Date: February 01, 1991
Time: 1807
Location: LAX, Los Angeles, California
Operator: USAir / Skywest Airlines
Flight #: 1493/5569
Route: Columbus - Los Angeles \ Los Angeles - Fresno
AC Type: Boeing B-737-300 / Swearingen SA-227AC
Registration: N388US/N683AV
cn / ln: 23310/1145 / AC-683
Aboard: 101   (passengers:93  crew:8)
Fatalities: 34   (passengers:30  crew:4)
Ground: 0
Summary: The Skywest Metroliner was told to taxi into position for takeoff and hold. The ATC became preoccupied with another aircraft that departed the tower frequency. A Wings West aircraft reporting "ready for takeoff", caused some confusion because the controller didn't have a flight progress strip in front of her. The strip appeared to have been misfiled at the clearance delivery position. The USAir, which was cleared to land, struck the rear of the Metroliner. After the collision, both planes slid off the runway into an unoccupied fire station and burst into flames.The failure of the Los Angeles Air Traffic facility management to implement procedures that provided redundancy comparable to the requirements contained in the National Operational Position Standards and the failure of the FAA ATS to provide adequate policy direction and oversight to its ATC facility managers. These failures created an environment in the Los Angeles ATC tower that ultimately led to the failure of the controller to maintain awareness of the traffic situation, culminating in the inappropriate clearances and the subsequent collision of the USAir and SkyWest aircraft. Twenty-two killed aboard the USAir and all 12 aboard the Metroliner. One additional person died 31 days after the accident making it 35 killed.
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