Quick Action Averts Collision of Two Planes
An alert air traffic controller and a quick maneuver by an AirCal pilot avoided what could have been a collision between a jet carrying 96 passengers from Los Angeles and a small plane, officials said Wednesday.
AirCal Flight 2385 from Los Angeles to San Jose came within 50 to 100 feet of hitting a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Vince Mellone, manager of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control Center in Oakland.
The AirCal pilot disconnected his autopilot and dove to avoid hitting the other plane, Mellone said. The incident occurred at 15,000 feet 15 miles east of Salinas as the AirCal jet was approaching San Jose International Airport.
A traffic controller alerted the AirCal pilot that the small plane was crossing his path about five miles ahead, Mellone said. “The radio traffic controller probably saved a tragedy,” he added.
Mellone said the small plane was flying in legal airspace but he said the FAA is trying to find the plane to determine why the pilot failed to notify controllers that he was crossing a busy flight path.
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