Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR N214NN
16 February 2017 · San Francisco, California, United States · Unknown
Summary
On 16 February 2017 at about 04:00 local time, a Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR registered N214NN, operated by Compass Airlines, was involved in an incident near San Francisco, California, United States. The number of people on board was not recorded. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 04:00
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- San Francisco Intl (SFO)
- Coordinates
- 37.6117, -122.3589
- Aircraft
- Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR
- Registration
- N214NN
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2015
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Compass Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Los Angeles → San Francisco
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- OPS17IA014
People
Injuries not recorded.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not recorded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The local controller's issuance of a landing clearance for runway 28L to the ERJ170, and the subsequent issuance of line up and wait instructions to the A320 for runway 28L, resulting in a runway incursion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The Boulder sector approach controller was the first controller the pilot of CPZ6081 contacted when entering NCT airspace. The controller informed the pilot that the ATIS was "tango" and to expect a visual approach to runway 28L. Aircraft arriving from the south of SFO were routinely assigned runway 28L on initial contact; however, when noise abatement procedures were in effect, runway 28R was the preferential runway. When the Boulder controller realized that CPZ6081 would arrive at SFO during noise abatement hours, he informed the Woodside controller that he would change CPZ6081 to runway 28R. The Boulder controller subsequently changed CPZ6081's data tag on the radar display from runway 28L to runway 28R and electronically handed the airplane off to the Woodside controller. The Boulder controller did not inform the pilot of CPZ6081 about the runway change to 28R and did not inform the Woodside controller that he had not passed that runway change information to the pilot. CPZ6081's data tag indicated runway 28R when the Woodside controller accepted the airplane. When the Woodside controller cleared CPZ6081 for the visual approach to runway 28R, that was the first mention of runway 28R to the pilot. The pilot read back "runway 28R," however, continued to prepare for the runway 28L approach. The flight crew had briefed for a visual approach to runway 28L with a backup ILS to runway 28L and thought they had been cleared for the runway 28L approach. The Woodside controller electronically handed off CPZ6081 to SFO ATCT, and the SFO local controller accepted the handoff; the data tag on the tower radar display indicated runway 28R. The pilot of CPZ6081 contacted SFO tower and reported they were on a visual approach to runway 28L. The local controller issued the wind and cleared CPZ6081 to land "runway 28L," which the pilot read back correctly. When the local controller instructed VRD920 to LUAW on runway 28L, she visually scanned the approach corridor and saw CPZ6081 on final approach, and then scanned the tower radar display and saw that CPZ6081's data tag indicated runway 28R. She stated that although it was difficult to visually discern which runway (28L/28R) an aircraft was lined up for, especially at night, she expected CPZ6081to land on runway 28R, and thought she had cleared the flight to land on runway 28R. The local control audio revealed that the local controller had been consistent in providing traffic information to a pilot when she put an airplane into LUAW when another airplane was on the approach for that runway; however, in this case she had not provided traffic information to VRD920 or CPZ6081. The airport surface surveillance capability (ASSC) system functioned as designed and produced the appropriate alert when CPZ6081 was approximately .85 nautical mile final runway 28L. The local controller took timely and appropriate action when the ASSC alerted and issued go-around instruction to CPZ6081; the pilot adhered to the go-around instruction.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR 200LR | N214NN | Compass Airlines | - |
| Airbus A320 214 | N627VA | Alaska Airlines | - |
Other Embraer S A ERJ-170 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 2021 | Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Skywest Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |
| 23 Oct 2021 | Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR | Miami, Florida, United States | Envoy Air | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 2012 | Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR | Hilton Head, South Carolina, United States | Republic Airlines, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 2022 | Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR | Montgomery, Alabama, United States | Envoy Air Inc. | Fatal | - |
| 20 Nov 2024 | Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR | Warnock, Ohio, United States | Mesa Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 2025 | Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Envoy Air Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar 2017 | Bell 206B | Firebaugh, California, United States | West Valley Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2017 | Rockwell S 2R | Brawley, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Sep 2017 | Cessna T210N | Watsonville, California, United States | Singh Amandeep | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 2017 | Piper PA 28R-201T | Nipton, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 2017 | Cessna 172M | Chico, California, United States | Northgate Aviation Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 2017 | Maule MX7 | Live Oak, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |