Wed, Mar 31, 2010
Incident Involved A Commercial Airliner And A GA Aircraft
The NTSB has launched an
investigation to determine why a commercial jetliner and a small
light airplane came within an estimated 300 feet of colliding over
San Francisco on Saturday.
At about 11:15 a.m. PDT on March 27, the crew of United Airlines
Flight 889, a B777-222 (N216UA) destined for Beijing, China,
carrying 251 passengers and a crew of 17, was cleared to takeoff
from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on runway 28L and
climb to an initial altitude of 3,000 feet. The first officer, who
was flying the aircraft, reported that after the landing gear was
retracted and the jet was at an altitude of about 1,100 feet, the
tower controller reported traffic at his 1 o'clock position.
Immediately following the controller's advisory, the airplane's
traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) issued an audible alert
of "TRAFFIC TRAFFIC."
The pilots saw a light high wing airplane, a Cessna 182
(N9870E), in a hard left turn traveling from their 1 o'clock to 3
o'clock position. The first officer pushed the control column
forward to level the airplane. Both crew members reported seeing
only the underside of the Cessna as it passed to within an
estimated 200-300 feet of the 777.
TCAS then issued an "ADJUST VERTICAL SPEED" alert, followed by a
"DESCEND, DESCEND" alert. The first officer complied and the flight
continued to Beijing without further incident.
NTSB investigator Scott Dunham is traveling to San Francisco to
begin the investigation.
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