Near-Miss Nearer Than Thought : Aviation: An Alaska Airlines flight with 49 aboard came within 100 to 200 feet of a Piper Navajo at John Wayne Airport rather than the half a mile first reported.

Radar and voice communication tapes show that a near midair collision between a commercial jetliner and a small plane last week was much closer than previously thought.

Alaska Airlines Flight 240, an MD-80 with 49 people aboard a flight from Seattle, came within 100 to 200 feet of a twin-engine Piper Navajo at 6:08 p.m. Thursday, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.

Both planes were on final approach to the same runway just before crossing the San Diego Freeway, the FAA said.

An air traffic controller previously told the FAA that the planes were half a mile apart, but FAA officials attributed the discrepancy to nighttime viewing conditions and the fact that the controller was estimating the distance from memory, without looking at radar data.

“We went back and reviewed the communications tape and the radar plots, and based on that, we determined that (the separation) was at ‘X’ feet.”

“X” feet, FAA investigator Jim Miller said, in this case was about 100 to 200 feet.

Robert Akin, the Navajo’s pilot, turned much wider to the east than was expected when he was cleared to land on a runway parallel to the one being used by the Alaska jet, Miller said. Akin was trying to correct his course when the near collision occurred. A normal turn would have put the Navajo on the runway minutes ahead of the jet but still in plenty of time to get out of the way, Miller said.

The Navajo’s pilot may have been given two instructions--first to abort and stay on a heading parallel to the runway and then to make a right turn, FAA officials said. A right turn, if started too soon, would have put the Navajo directly in the path of the descending jet.

Miller said he could not resolve the issue of the right turn without further review today of enhanced radar images and voice tapes.

The FAA officials said there was no evidence so far of controller error.

The FAA would not name the controller involved. Akin and the Alaska Airlines pilot Edwin Jenkins were not available for comment.

Jenkins piloted a return flight to Seattle after the incident. He filed a near-midair-collision report by telephone to the FAA late Friday after telling his superiors in Seattle that the incident was “too close for comfort,” Alaska Airlines and FAA officials said. Akin has not filed a report, FAA officials said.

The airline said Tuesday that air traffic controllers never told their pilot, Jenkins, about the Navajo, operated by San Diego-based Island Hopping Inc. The piper was ferrying two businessmen to Orange County from San Diego’s Montgomery Field.

“Our aircraft had in front of it a single-engine light aircraft,” said Alaska Airlines spokesman Greg Witter. “At some point the FAA sequenced into the landing order a twin-engine Navajo. Our flight desk was not aware that it had been sequenced in there until the Navajo began to pull out and move to the right, and that’s when our pilot took evasive action. That was the first he had seen or heard of that aircraft. Our pilot pulled out of his approach and went around for another landing.”

But audiotapes of the pilot-tower conversations contradict the airline’s assertion, the FAA’s Miller said.

The recordings, Miller said, “showed that the Alaska pilot was told about both aircraft.”

Miller said the regional radar facility at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station advised the Alaska pilot of a Piper Cherokee, which was within 2 miles of landing, according to the tapes, Miller said. Then the Alaska pilot switched radio frequencies to talk to the John Wayne tower. A controller there asked the Alaska pilot if he could see the Navajo ahead, and he acknowledged that he had the Navajo in sight, Miller said.

Neither the tape recordings nor transcripts were available to reporters on Tuesday.

FAA officials said the investigation is continuing.

Near Midair Collision at John Wayne Airport

A small commuter plane and a jetliner came within 100 to 200 feet of colliding near John Wayne Airport Thursday, much closer than previously believed.

1) 6:04 p.m.: Cleared to Land

Twin-engine Navajo commuter plane is cleared to turn and land. Plane expected to turn directly toward airport, giving it enough clearance to land before an approaching jetline, but makes a much wider turn.

2) 6:05 p.m.: Jetliner Told to Follow

Pilot of Alaska Airlines MD-80 is told that he would follow the Navajo. Pilot acknowledges seeing small plane.

3) 6:06 p.m.: Landing Aborted

Controller realizes Navajo has turned too wide, tells it to abort landing.

4) 6:07 p.m.: Near Collision

Alaska Airlines jet, cleared to land, ccomes to within 100 to 200 feet above the Navajo.

NOTE: Times are approximate.

Near Collisions in Orange County

The numbers of pilot-reported incidents vary from year to year. There have been an average of 17 near-misses reported in Orange County from 1985 to 1989.

SOURCE: Federal Aviation Administration