False alarm on jet causes 2 near-crashes

January 15, 1998
Web posted at: 1:32 p.m. EST (1832 GMT)

From Correspondent Charles Feldman

BURBANK, California (CNN) -- A Southwest Airlines jet following alerts from its on-board anti-collision device came dangerously close to colliding with two commuter planes, coming within 100 feet of one of them, air traffic controllers said.

The incident occurred last Friday, as Southwest Airlines Flight 1451, a Boeing 737 with as many as 80 passengers on board, was on its final approach to Burbank Airport.

An animated re-enactment of the incidents 1 min. VXtreme video

For no apparent reason, the plane's on-board Traffic Collision Avoidance System went off, forcing the jet to climb rapidly. As it climbed, the jet came within as little as 100 feet of one commuter plane.

The smaller plane, a twin-engine Cessna, was caught in the big jet's wake and fell about 1,000 feet in skies over the densely populated San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles before regaining control.

Burbank Airport

One air traffic controller monitoring traffic at the time said he saw the two planes' radar blips converge, indicating that they were virtually on top of one another. He said it was the worst incident he has seen on the job in 16 years.

After nearly hitting the Cessna, another alert on the Southwest jet then instructed its pilot to continue his climb, bringing him too close to yet another commuter plane.

Kevin McGrath, the president of the local Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the false alarm from the device, known as T-CAS, is a major problem, as it is mandated on all commercial jets.

Southwest Airlines did not reveal the near-crashes until Wednesday, although the Southwest passengers were told what happened shortly after the near-collisions. No one was injured and there were no passenger complaints, airline officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident Wednesday and said it is under investigation.

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