Hughes Airwest Flight 706
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 6, 1971 |
| Type | Mid-air collision |
| Site | San Gabriel Mountains, California |
| Fatal Injuries | 50 |
| Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 |
| Operator | Hughes Airwest |
| Registration | N9345 |
| Passengers | 44 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Aircraft type | F-4B Phantom II |
| Operator | United States Marine Corps |
| Registration | 151458 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Survivors | 1 |
Flight 706 was a Hughes Airwest commercial flight that flew from Los Angeles, California, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Following a mid-air collision with a fighter jet, the flight crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains near Duarte, California, killing all 49 people aboard.
On June 6, 1971, Flight 706, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-31, took off from Los Angeles International Airport at 6:02 PM PST. Its first stop was Salt Lake City, part of an itinerary that would take it to its ultimate destination of Seattle, Washington.
Meanwhile, at 5:16 PM PST, another McDonnell-Douglas aircraft, an F-4B Phantom II jet fighter flying for the United States Marine Corps, took off from Naval Air Station Fallon near Reno, Nevada. Its intended destination was Marine Corps Air Station El Toro near Irvine, California.
At 6:11 PM PST, Flight 706 was climbing to its assigned altitude of 33,000 feet over the San Gabriel Mountains when the Phantom II collided with the DC-9 at 15,150 feet.
The Phantom spun wildly out of control. The radar intercept officer successfully bailed out and was uninjured. The pilot, whose forward canopy did not jettison, was killed on impact with the ground. As for the DC-9, all on board were also killed on impact with the ground.
The subsequent investigation revealed that both crews failed to see and avoid each other. The crew of the Phantom II also failed to request radar advisory service, especially considering they had an inoperable transponder on board, making it invisible on ATC radar screens.
It should be noted, however, that both the Phantom II and the DC-9 didn't have the proper capability to detect, assess, and avoid the collision.
It should also be noted that allegations surfaced that the pilot of the Phantom II performed some kind of aerobatics maneuver shortly before the collision with the DC-9.
