1984 — Aug 24, Wings West Air (15) & Rockwell Comd. (2) collide, San Luis Obispo, CA-17

–17  Notable California Aviation Disasters.  “The 1980s.” Oct 23, 2008 update.

–17  NTSB. AAR. Midair Collision…Wings West Airlines…and… Rockwell Commander… p. i.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB Synopsis: “About 1117:38 Pacific daylight time, on August 24, 1984, Winds West Airlines, Flight 628, a Beech C-99 (N6399U), and Aesthetec Inc. Rockwell Commander 112TC, N112SM, collided in midair near San Luis Obispo, California. The weather at the time of the collision was clear. Flight 628 had just departed San Luis Obispo County Airport en route to San Francisco International Airport, California, and was climbing on a west bound heading. The Rockwell Commander had departed Paso Robles, California, on a training flight and was descending toward the San Luis Obispo County Airport on an eastbound track. The airplanes collided head-on at an altitude of about 3,400 feet. The wreckage of both airplanes fell into an open field about 8 nmi west northwest of the San Luis Obispo County Airport. All 17 persons, including the 2 pilots and 13 passengers onboard Flight 628 and the 2 pilots onboard the Rockwell, were killed.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the pilots of both aircraft to follow the recommended communications and traffic advisory practices for uncontrolled airports contained in the Airman’s Information Manual to alert each other to their presence and to enhance the controller’s ability to provide timely traffic advisories.

 

“Underlying the accident were the physiological limitations of human vision and reaction time. Also underlying the accident was th short time available to the controller to detect and appraise radar data and to issue a safety advisory.

 

“Contributing to the accident was the Wings West Airlines policy which required its pilots to tune one radio to the company frequency at all times.” (NTSB. AAR. Midair Collision…Wings West Airlines…and… Rockwell Commander… p. 1.)

 

Notable CA Aviation Disasters: “Date / Time: Friday, August 24, 1984 / 11:18 a.m.

“Operator / Flight No.: Wings West Airlines / Flight 628

“Location: San Luis Obispo, Calif.

 

“….Shortly after departing the San Luis Obispo County Airport on a commuter flight to San Francisco International Airport, a Wings West Airlines twin-engine Beechcraft C99 (N6399U) collided head-on with a private Rockwell Commander 112TC aircraft (N112SM) that was descending for a landing at the same airport.

 

“The Wings West commuter plane was westbound while the Rockwell Commander, of Aesthetec Inc., was eastbound on a training flight from Paso Robles when they collided in clear skies at an altitude of about 3,400 feet….

 

“Fatalities: 17 — 15 aboard the Wings West Beechcraft C99 commuter plane; 2 aboard the Rockwell Commander 112TC aircraft.” (Notable CA Aviation Disasters. “The 1980s.” 10-23- 2008 update.)

Sources

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Midair Collision of Wings West Airlines Beech C-99 (N6399U) and Aesthetic, Inc., Rockwell Commander 112TC N112SM, Near San Luis Obispo, California, August 24, 1985 (NTSB/AAR-85/07). Washington, DC: NTSB, 8-39-1985, 51 pages. Accessed 2-14-2017 at: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR8507.pdf

 

Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1980s.” 10-23-2008 update. Accessed 10-20-2009 at: http://www.jaydeebee1.com/crash80s.html  Inactive when checked 10-22-2016.