Light Plane Not on Radar, Jet Crash Controller Says : Controller Says Light Plane Didn’t Show Up on Radar
The air traffic controller who was handling an Aeromexico jetliner when it collided with a small plane over Cerritos said today he never saw the light plane on his radar screen before the disaster that claimed 82 lives on Aug. 31.
Walter White, a controller at Los Angeles Terminal Air Control, was one of the first witnesses at a National Transportation Safety Board public hearing convened to gather facts about the collision that occurred about 20 miles east-southeast of Los Angeles International Airport.
Asked if he had seen the small plane, White responded firmly: “No, sir. He was not displayed. It is my belief he was not on my radar scope.”
Although he had noticed problems with the radar system before the accident, White said he believed the system was functioning well when the collision occurred.
The Aeromexico DC-9 was approaching LAX when it and the small plane collided and plunged into a residential neighborhood, killing all 64 people aboard the jet, three on the Piper and 15 on the ground. Officials have said previously the small plane was flying in restricted airspace without permission
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