Record 51 Near-Collisions Reported Over L.A. in Year : FAA Warns of Delays in Flights

Since Aug. 1, 1986, 51 near-collisions have been reported in the Los Angeles basin, more than in any other area of the nation, the Federal Aviation Administration said today.

The announcement, by FAA Regional Manager Jim Holweger, came at a news conference to spell out details of an emergency order to expand restricted airspace around Los Angeles International Airport.

The order, made Wednesday, is likely to create flight delays and strain already overworked air traffic controllers, FAA officials said. But it was issued by new FAA chief T. Allan McArtor in response to the record number of near-collisions in the region in the past year and with the safety of millions of travelers in mind, Holweger said.

Traffic Jumps 20%

The region already has the highest concentration of aircraft, both general aviation and jetliners, and air traffic has jumped by almost 20% in the first six months of this year as compared to the same period of 1986, he said.

The FAA expects that expansion of the airport’s Terminal Control Area will result in a 25% increase of air traffic clearance requests from controllers.

“We recognize that these changes will impact the user,” Holweger said. “We also understand that it may impose . . . economic hardship and cause delays. But we feel (pilots) are appreciative of the actions that will deal with these L.A. basin safety issues.”

More Controllers Needed

The emergency order does not address the expected demand for additional controllers despite indications from the FAA last week that expansion of the TCA would require bringing in 40 new personnel to safely handle the additional clearance requests.

Holweger said steps will be taken to ensure that “controller overload does not occur.”

He said that general aviation aircraft will be denied permission to enter the TCA when air traffic controllers are too busy. He predicted “very minimal” delays to commercial airlines.