Mid-air collision

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A mid-air collision is an aviation accident in which two or more aircraft come into contact during flight. Due to the relatively high velocities involved and any subsequent impact on the ground or sea, very severe damage or the total destruction of at least one of the aircraft involved usually results. The chance of surviving a major mid-air collision is virtually nil in the absence of ejector seats and parachutes, as indicated below.

The potential for a mid-air collision is increased by miscommunication, error in navigation, and deviations from flight plans. However, the odds are fantastically slim that two aircraft could collide in a large and virtually empty three dimensional space, making mid-air collisions very rare events compared to other types of aviation incidents.

Contents 1 Recent efforts to prevent military collisions in the United States 2 List of notable civilian mid-air collisions 3 List of notable military mid-air collisions 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Recent efforts to prevent military collisions in the United States

There are many types and causes of mid-air collisions. On some occasions, military aircraft conducting training flights inadvertently collide with civilian aircraft. In 2005, as part of an effort to reduce such military/civilian mid-air collisions in U.S. airspace, the Air National Guard Flight Safety Division, led by Lt Col Edward Vaughan, used the Disruptive Solutions Process to create the See and Avoid web portal. In late 2006, the U.S. Defense Safety Oversight Council (DSOC) recognized and funded the site as its official civil/military midair collision prevention website, with participation by all the services. In 2008, this site is expected to expand to include international airspace where U.S. military aircraft operate.

[edit] List of notable civilian mid-air collisions

This article or section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective. (March 2008)

F = Number of fatalities;  S = Number of survivors

Date		F	S	Flights involved	Site
1938	Aug 24	45		Two Japanese aircraft	Ōmori, Tokyo, Japan
1945	Jul 12	3		Eastern Air Lines flight / US Army B-25 flight	?Syracuse, U.S.
1949	Nov 1	55	1	Eastern Air Lines 537 / Lockheed P-38 test flight	Washington, D.C., U.S.
1951	Apr 25	43	0	Cubana de Aviación 493 / US Navy flight	Key West, Florida, U.S.
1955	Jan 12	15	0	TWA flight / Private flight	Boone County, Kentucky, U.S.
1956	Jun 30	128	0	UA Flight 718 / TWA Flight 2	Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.
1960	Dec 16	134	0	UA Flight 826 / TWA Flight 266	New York City, New York, U.S.
1963	Feb 1	87		Middle East Airlines Flight 265 / Turkish Air Force flight	Ankara, Turkey
1965	Dec 4	4	50+	TWA Flight 42 / Eastern Airlines Flight 853	Carmel, New York, U.S.
1967	Mar 9	26	0	TWA Flight 553 / Private flight	Urbana, Ohio, U.S.
1967	Jul 19	82	0	Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 / Lanseair Inc. flight	Hendersonville, North Carolina, U.S.
1969	Sep 9	82	0	Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 / Private flight	Fairland, Indiana, U.S.
1971	Jul 30	162	1	ANA Flight 58 / JASDF flight	near Shizukuishi, Japan
1975	Jan 9	14	0	Golden West Airlines Flight 261 / Private flight	near Whittier, California, USA
1976	Jun 6	50	1	Hughes Airwest Flight 706 / US Marines flight	San Gabriel Mountains, California
1976	Sep 10	176	0	BA Flight 476 / Inex-Adria Flight 550	near Zagreb, Croatia
1978	Sep 25	144	0	PSA Flight 182 / Private flight	San Diego, California, U.S.
1979	Aug 11	178	0	Aeroflot 65816 / Aeroflot 65735	Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukraine
1986	Aug 31	82	0	Aeroméxico Flight 498 / Private flight	Cerritos, California, U.S.
1993	Nov 26	4	0	NZ Police Eagle  / NZ Police traffic patrol	Auckland, New Zealand
1996	Nov 12	349	0	Saudi Airlines Flight 763 / Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907	Charkhi Dadri, India
2002	Jul 1	71	0	Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 / DHL Flight 611	Überlingen, Germany
2006	Sep 29	154	7	Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 / ExcelAire flight	Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
2007	Jul 27	4	0	KNXV-TV news helicopter / KTVK news helicopter	Phoenix, Arizona

[edit] List of notable military mid-air collisions

F = Number of fatalities;  S = Number of survivors

Date		F	S	Aircraft involved	Site
1966	Jun 8	2	1	XB-70 Valkyrie prototype / F-104 Starfighter	near Barstow, California
1985	Jul 5	1		Two A-4F Skyhawk aircraft of the Blue Angels	Niagara Falls
1988	Aug 28	75		Three Aermacchi MB-339PAN aircraft of the Frecce Tricolori	Ramstein Air Base, Germany
1996	June 12	18	10	Two UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopters of the Australian SAS	Townsville, Australia
1997	Sep 13	33		Luftwaffe Tu-154 / USAF C-141	Namibia, Africa
2009	Feb 11	4		Two Grob Tutors of the R.A.F.	Porthcawl, Wales

[edit] See also

• Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B)
• Aviation accidents and incidents
• Disruptive Solutions Process
• Near miss
• Portable Collision Avoidance System (PCAS)
• Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)

[edit] External links

• Indepth Backgrounder: Mid-air collision, CBC
• SeeAndAvoid, DoD Civil-Military Midair Collision Prevention Portal
• Interactive Web Site Helps Pilots ‘See and Avoid’ Midair Collisions, DefenseLink Press Release
• Low Altitude Military Aircraft Deconfliction Webtool

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