USAir Flight 1493

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**USAir 1493 collision**
Summary
Date	February 1, 1991
Type	Runway collision
Site	Los Angeles Int'l Airport
Total fatalities	34
First aircraft
Type	Boeing 737-3B7
Operator	USAir
Tail number	N388US
Passengers	83
Crew	6
Injuries	13 serious, 17 minor
Fatalities	22
Survivors	67
Second aircraft
Type	Fairchild Metro III
Operator	SkyWest
Tail number	N683AV
Passengers	10
Crew	2
Survivors	0

USAir Flight 1493 was a flight from Syracuse Hancock International Airport, New York to Los Angeles International Airport, California via Port Columbus International Airport, Ohio.

On 1 February 1991, a Boeing 737-3B7 [1] commercial jet operated for the route collided with SkyWest Flight 5569, a twin-engine turbo-prop Fairchild Metro III plane en route to Palmdale Regional Airport, in California, after landing on runway 24L at Los Angeles International Airport.

Skywest 5569 was directed to move onto runway 24L for takeoff and hold in position at the intersection of taxiway 45. US1493 was cleared to land on 24L one minute later by the same local controller. One minute later, the 737 touched down, then ran into the SkyWest Metro, which was still holding in position 2,400 feet from the runway threshold. The two planes slid down the runway, then off to one side, coming to rest against an unoccupied firehouse. They then burst into flame. All 12 people on the Metro were killed (10 passengers and 2 pilots), and 22 of the 89 aboard the 737 perished (20 passengers, 1 pilot and 1 flight attendant). On the USAir aircraft, two crew members and 11 passengers sustained serious injuries. 2 crew members and 15 passengers sustained minor injuries. 37 passengers received no injuries.

Seating chart of US Airways Flight 1493 from the NTSB, revealing locations of passengers, lack of injury, severity of injuries, and deaths.

The NTSB cited LAX's handling of flight strips which placed much of the responsibility for the strips on the local controllers. The local controller's loss of situational awareness was also noted as a factor, as was the Metro's lighting and both flight crew's failure to follow "see and avoid" principles during VFR conditions.