The two scheduled regional airliners nearly collided at 1336 Pacific time. There were no reported injuries and no reported damage to aircraft. The EMB-120 was arriving; the EMB-170 was departing. After the EMB-120 came to a stop at the intersection of Runways 1L and 28R, the EMB-170 lifted off and overflew it. The initial FAA tower report estimated the aircraft missed colliding by 300 feet. However, the EMB-120 crew estimated the distance as 30 to 50 feet; the EMB-170 crew estimated 150 feet. They characterized their estimate as a “guess,” noting that they could not actually see the Brasilia as they passed over the top of the aircraft. The airport is equipped with an Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS), which tracks aircraft on and near the airport surface and provides conflict resolution information to controllers. At 1335:40, an aural AMASS warning was issued.
May 26, 2007, San Francisco, Calif., Embraer 120/Embraer 170
The two scheduled regional airliners nearly collided at 1336 Pacific time. There were no reported injuries and no reported damage to aircraft. The EMB-120 was arriving; the EMB-170 was departing. After the EMB-120 came to a stop at the intersection of Runways 1L and 28R, the EMB-170 lifted off and overflew it. The initial FAA tower report estimated the aircraft missed colliding by 300 feet. However, the EMB-120 crew estimated the distance as 30 to 50 feet; the EMB-170 crew estimated 150 feet. They characterized their estimate as a "guess," noting that they could not actually see the Brasilia as they passed over the top of the aircraft.
Key Takeaways:
- Two regional airliners, an EMB-120 and an EMB-170, nearly collided at an airport, with the departing EMB-170 overflying the stationary arriving EMB-120.
- No injuries or damage were reported, but estimates of the closest distance between the aircraft varied significantly, from 30-50 feet by the arriving crew to 300 feet by the FAA.
- An Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) issued an aural warning prior to the near collision, indicating the system detected the conflict.
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