Airbus A321-271N N216HA
27 October 2023 · Long Beach, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 27 October 2023 at about 01:01 local time, a Airbus A321-271N registered N216HA, operated by Hawaiian Airlines Inc, was involved in an incident near Long Beach, California, United States. Nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:01
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Long Beach, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Long Beach (Daugherty Fld) (LGB)
- Coordinates
- 33.8139, -118.1467
- Aircraft
- Airbus A321-271N
- Registration
- N216HA
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2018
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Hawaiian Airlines Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Honolulu → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- OPS24LA004
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not recorded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The local controller’s poor judgment in prioritization of their ground traffic ahead of their airborne traffic, that became a distraction and led to a loss of situational awareness resulting in a near midair collision. Contributing to the incident was the controller in charge’s ineffective oversight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Hawaiian Airlines flight 70 (HAL70), N2165HA, an Airbus A321, and a Textron Aviation, Inc. C172N, N24CV, were involved in a near mid air collision (NMAC) over the point where runway 30 and the final approach path for runway 26L intersect at Long Beach (Daugherty Field) Airport (LGB). At the time of the incident, the local control 1 (LC1), local assist, and ground control positions were combined to the LC1 position in the LGB air traffic control tower and staffed by a single certified professional controller. According to ATC transcripts and a post-- event interview, the LC1 controller turned N24CV on a base leg to runway 26L and cleared N24CV to land on 26L when the aircraft was approximately one mile from the runway. About this same time, the LC1 controller also cleared HAL70 to land on runway 30, when the flight was on a four-mile final. The LC1 controller did not realize that N24CV continued another half mile before starting their base turn, an event which led to both aircraft arriving at the airport at nearly the same time. In the three minutes leading to the incident, the LC1 controller received multiple calls on the ground control frequency from aircraft requesting push-back. He also initiated a call to the Traffic Management Unit (TMU) to request a release for another aircraft. These events distracted the LC1 controller from the local control operation at the time of the incident. This duty prioritization was not consistent with guidance contained in FAA Order JO 7110.65AA, Air Traffic Control, 2-1-1, ATC Service and 2-10-3, Tower Team Position Responsibilities. The controller in charge (CIC) stated in the post event interview that he heard the LC1 controller calling TMU for the release and said he should have made the call instead, and this was a failure on his part. This would have allowed the LC1 controller to concentrate on traffic. The CIC also stated he was not actively monitoring the LC1 controller frequencies and stated he should have been a second set of eyes for the LC1 controller. This was not consistent with guidance contained in the LGB7110.3G SOP, Chapter 3-1-1, Clearance Delivery, Chapter 7-1-1, Front Line Manger/Controller in Charge and 7-2-1, subsection f.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A321-271N 271N | N216HA | Hawaiian Airlines Inc | - |
| Cessna 172N | N24CV | - | - |
Other Airbus A321 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 2023 | Airbus A321 | Kobenhavn, Denmark | Scandinavian Airlines System | No injuries | - |
| 30 Oct 2023 | Airbus A321 | Islamabad, Pakistan | Airblue | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jan 2023 | Airbus A321 | Doha, Qatar | Etihad Airways | Unknown | - |
| 5 Oct 2023 | Airbus A321 | Essex, United Kingdom | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 2023 | Airbus A321 | Cairo, Egypt | Turkish Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 2023 | Airbus A321 | Changi, Singapore, Singapore | Air China | Unknown | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Aug 2023 | Supernal SUP83-1 | California City, California, United States | Supernal, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 2023 | Bell OH-58A | Brawley, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2023 | Cessna 172 | Watsonville, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 2023 | Schleicher Alexander Gmbh & ASH 26 E | Williams, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 2023 | Bell 407 | Cabazon, California, United States | Air Shasta Rotor & Wing Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 29 Jun 2023 | Supernal SUP83-1 | California City, California, United States | Supernal LLC | No injuries | - |