32.7153° N, 117.1573° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of San Diego, CA, within about 10 miles.Open in the map
Date
November 18, 1979 · 12:05 local
Place
San Diego, CA
Airport
Lindbergh International
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
PSA
Aircraft
N555PS
Reported as
Boeing 727214
People aboard
226
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
12,409 total8,717 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Due to systems error, tower controller placed two aircraft on collision course, one departing, one landing.
As the FAA filed it
DUE TO SYSTEMS ERROR, TOWER CONTROLLER PLACED TWO AIRCRAFT ON COLLISION COURSE, ONE DEPARTING, ONE LANDING.