McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 XAJED
31 August 1986 · Cerritos, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 31 August 1986 at about 18:52 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 registered XAJED was involved in an accident near Cerritos, California, United States. 90 people were on board and 67 died. 15 people on the ground also died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 18:52
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Cerritos, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.8606, -118.0810
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
- Registration
- XAJED
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 129: Foreign
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Tijuana, Mexico → Los Angeles
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA86AA041
People
67 people died, including 15 on the ground.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured | On the ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The Safety Board's full report on this investigation is provided as Aviation Accident Report number AAR-87/07. To obtain a copy of this report, or to view the executive summary online, please see the Web site at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm AT APRX 1140 PDT, A PIPER PA-28, N4891F, DEPARTED TORRANCE, CA ON A VFR FLT TO BIG BEAR, CA. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT TURNED EASTBOUND TWD THE PARADISE VORTAC WITH HIS X-PONDER SQUAWKING 1200. AT THAT TIME, AEROMEXICO FLT 498 (DC-8, MEX REGISTRY XA-JED) WAS ON ARRIVAL, RCVG NORTHBOUND VECTORS FM LAX APCH CTL (AR-1 CTLR) FOR AN ILS APCH TO THE LAX INTL ARPT. AT 1151:04, THE CTLR ASKED FLT 498 TO RDC SPD TO 190 KTS & DSCND FM 7000' TO 6000'. DRG THIS TIME, THE CTLR WAS CTLG OTR TRAFFIC & PROVIDING RADAR ADVISORIES, BUT DIDN'T SEE A DISPLAY FOR N4891F ON HIS SCOPE. AT 1152:09, N4891F & FLT 498 CONVERGED & COLLIDED AT APRX 6560', THEN FELL TO THE GND. AN INV REVEALED N4891F HAD INADVERTENTLY ENTERED THE LAX TERMINAL CONTROL AREA (TCA) & WASN'T IN RADIO CONTACT WITH ATC. LAX TRACON WASN'T EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTO CONFLICT ALERT SYS & THE ANALOG BEACON RESPONSE FM N4891F'S X-PONDER WASN'T DISPLAYED DUE TO EQUIP CONFIGURATION. N4891F'S PSN WAS DISPLAYED BY AN ALPHANUMERIC TRIANGLE, BUT THE PRIMARY TARGET WASN'T DISPLAYED DUE TO AN ATMOSPHERIC INVERSION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 DC-9-32 | XAJED | - | Destroyed |
| Piper PA-28-181 PA-28-181 | N4891F | - | Destroyed |
Other McDonnell Douglas DC-9 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Feb 1986 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | Erie, Pennsylvania, United States | Usair | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Sep 1986 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 | Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 1986 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | Charleston, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 May 1986 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Nov 1987 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Continental Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 1987 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 | Romulus, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 154 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 1986 | Cessna 150 | Hesperia, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Nov 1986 | Luscombe 8A | Half Moon Bay, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 1986 | Schleicher ASW-19 | Warner Springs, California, United States | Mark A. Miller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Nov 1986 | Learjet 24 | Lake Tahoe, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 1986 | Piper PA-18-150 | Ukiah, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Nov 1986 | Beechcraft K35 | San Diego, California, United States | Dean Holt | Minor injuries | - |