REPORT

CASE STUDY OF PSA182 CRASH

INTRODUCTION OF THE INCIDENT

P-214 commercial airliner that collided over San Diego, California with a pacific Southwest
Airlines (PSA) Flight 182, registration N533PS, was a Boeing 727 and Cessna 172 on
September 25, 1978. The death toll of 144 makes it the deadliest aircraft disaster in California
history to date, and it was the first Pacific Southwest Airlines accident involving fatalities. It
was also the deadliest plane crash in the history of the United States until American Airlines
Flight 191 went down eight months later. The Boeing crashed into North Park, a San Diego
neighborhood, killing all 135 on board. The two men aboard the Cessna died, as did seven
people on the ground, including two children. Nine others on the ground were injured and 22
homes were destroyed or damaged.

Reasons
 The student pilot is practicing flying the aircraft Cessna for an approach just above the
runway using only radio navigation displays inside the cockpit. The student will likely
be under the hood, while the instructor was keeping an eye out for other air traffic.
 Cessna7711G is the expression used by the controller to identify the aircraft he is
communicating to “radar contact” it means that the aircraft has been identified by the
controller on radar, the controller instructs the pilot to remain VFR which means the
pilot must keep sight of ground at all the times. The pilot must keep below3500 feet and
turn the heading of the aircraft to 070.
 The controller’s reference to 12 o’clock means the aircraft, or the target is directly ahead
of the Boeing out of 1700 means the controller’s radar shows that the aircraft is climbing
through 1700 feet.
 Keeping a safe distance from the target. The Cessna is now have the responsibility of
making a safe distance from the Boeing. It is important to know that the Approach
controller and tower controller are at physically different location; all they have is a
telephonic connection, and while they are looking at the same radar display the
controller do not monitor each other radio communication they are so different radio
frequencies and neither will hear what the other is saying.
 The first officer, who is flying, instructs the captain, who is essentially in a support
position in the cockpit, to set the flaps of Boeing to 2. For supporting the first officer the
captain is also doing the radio communication.
 The most important thing the first officer saw the Cessna, the captain did not.
SOME RADIO COMMUNICATION OF THE INCIDENT
Below is the radio communication.
APP: Cessna 7711G,radar contact ,maintain VFR at or below 3500,fly heading 070,vector (for)
final approach course 3.
P: (to ATC):7711G on the heading and VFR below 3500.
APP: PSA182, traffic at 12 o clock,4 three miles, out of 1700.
FO: got him.
C: tower: traffic in sight
APP: OK sir, maintain visual separation, 5 contact Lindbergh tower 133,3 have a nice day now.
FO: Flaps, Two 6
C: Lindbergh PSA one eighty-two downwind
T: PSA one eighty-two, Lindbergh tower, ah, traffic twelve o’clock one mile a Cessna.
F: flaps 6.
C: Is that the one we’re looking at?
F: Yeah, but I don’t see him now.
C: Okay, we had it there a minute ago.
C: we had it there a minute go.
APP: One eighty-two, roger.
C: I think he’s passed off to our right.
T; YEAH.
T; How far are you going to take your downwind one eighty-two, company traffic is waiting
for departure.
C: ah probably about three to four miles.
T: ok. One eighty-two’s cleared to land.
C: Are we clear of that Cessna tower.
T: supposed to be.
C; I guess.
C: Oh yeah, before we turned downwind, I saw him about one o’clock, probably behind us
now.
F: Gear down.
F: There’s one underneath. I was looking at that inbound there.

C: whoops …

C: shit .what we have got now?

F: its bad .we are hit man we are hit.

C; tower we are going down … this is psa182

T; ok we will call the equipment for u ..

UID: Who!

C: Brave yourself!

UID: ###

END OF RECODING ……….