Mid-Air Collisions

[neotastic]

B-17s casually getting sliced almost completely in half and still flying:

[armandopulido]

For those wondering about GOL 1907, the 7 survivors were on the private jet that ripped off the airliner's wing

[chrissyo]

For those of you who are nervous flyers (or avgeeks) and want to know if you're safe in the air from collissions, don't worry. Although yes these are true events and there have been many unfortunate colissions mid-air, it is highly and I mean HIGHLY unlikely to happen today.

Modern planes use a system called TCAS which is the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. How it works is when the planes system notices another radio signal (as in another plane) it'll give a warning in the cockpit to the pilots. Saying "Traffic". This is usually about 4 minutes before the colission would happen depending on their route. If the diversion isn't given by air traffic control by the time and it reaches approximately 30 seconds before collision, the plane will say "Divert" in the cockpit again. Then it will say "Ascend" to one plane, and "Descend" to the other via the cockpit voice messages. All these alerts are given to BOTH planes in order to avoid the collision. There is plenty of time given to the pilots to divert away from the aircraft, hence why there haven't been any fatal mid air collisions in so long.
Hope you enjoyed that essay explanation👍

[caramelobombado]

Fun Fact: At Gol 1907 Mid Air Collision, The Embraer Legacy (N600XL), turned it’s TCAS off, making it possible for the collision to happen.

[ConekatKajiuParadise]

Explain these collisions:


Grand Canyon Mid Air Collision: United Airlines 718 and TWA 2

Trans World Airlines Flight 2, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation named Star of the Seine, with Captain Jack Gandy (age 41), First Officer James Ritner (31), and Flight Engineer Forrest Breyfogle (37), departed Los Angeles on Saturday, June 30, 1956, at 9:01 am PST with 64 passengers (including 11 TWA off-duty employees on free tickets) and six crew members (including two flight attendants and an off-duty flight engineer), and headed to Kansas City Downtown Airport, 31 minutes behind schedule. Flight 2, initially flying under instrument flight rules (IFR), climbed to an authorized altitude of 19, 000 feet (5, 800 m) and stayed in controlled airspace as far as Daggett, California. At Daggett, Captain Gandy turned right to a heading of 059 degrees magnetic, toward the radio range near Trinidad, Colorado. The Constellation was now "off airways", otherwise known as flying in uncontrolled airspace.

United Airlines Flight 718, a Douglas DC-7 named Mainliner Vancouver, and flown by Captain Robert "Bob" Shirley (age 48), First Officer Robert Harms (36), and Flight Engineer Girardo "Gerard" Fiore (39), departed Los Angeles at 9:04 am PST with 53 passengers and 5 crew members aboard (including two flight attendants), bound for Chicago's Midway Airport. Climbing to an authorized altitude of 21, 000 feet (6, 400 m), Captain Shirley flew under IFR in controlled airspace to a point northeast of Palm Springs, California, where he turned left toward a radio beacon near Needles, California, after which his flight plan was direct to Durango in southwestern Colorado. United's DC-7, though still under IFR, was now, like TWA's Constellation, en route in uncontrolled airspace.

Shortly after takeoff TWA's Captain Gandy requested permission to climb to 21, 000 feet to avoid thunderheads that were forming near his flight path. As was the practice at the time, his request had to be relayed by a TWA flight dispatcher to air traffic control (ATC), as neither crew was in direct contact with ATC after departure. ATC denied the request; the two airliners would soon be reentering controlled airspace (the Red 15 airway running southeast from Las Vegas) and ATC had no way to provide the horizontal separation required between two aircraft at the same altitude.

Captain Gandy requested "1, 000 on top" clearance (flying 1, 000 feet (300 m) above the clouds, and thus in visual meteorological conditions). This was approved by ATC, and meant that the Constellation was still under IFR but free of separation restrictions normally applied by ATC. It transferred to Gandy and Ritner the responsibility for maintaining safe separation from other aircraft, on the principle then termed "see and be seen" (more recently "see and avoid").

Upon reaching 1000, Captain Gandy increased his altitude to 21, 000 feet (6, 400 m). Both crews were then at this altitude, and both had estimated that they would cross the Painted Desert line at about 10:31 am Pacific time. The Painted Desert line was about two hundred miles (320 km) long, running between the VORs at Bryce Canyon, Utah, and Winslow, Arizona, at an angle of 335 degrees relative to true north – wholly outside of controlled air space. Owing to the different headings taken by the two planes, TWA's crossing of the Painted Desert line, assuming no further course changes, would be at a 13-degree angle relative to that of the United flight, with the Constellation to the left of the DC-7.

As the two aircraft approached the Grand Canyon, at the same altitude and nearly the same speed, the pilots were likely maneuvering around towering cumulus clouds. (The Constellation's clearance required it to stay in clear air – and above cloud.) As they were maneuvering near the canyon, it is believed the planes passed the same cloud on opposite sides.

At about 10:30 am the two aircraft collided over the canyon at an angle of about 25 degrees.[9] Post-crash analysis determined that the United DC-7 was banking to the right and pitching down at the time of the collision, suggesting that one or possibly both of the United pilots spotted the TWA Constellation and attempted evasive action.

[Aoxnkfjwksbdjsjwjsndnsnsns]

349 casualties is insane. The deadliest mid-air collision and the deadliest ground casualty accident both happened in the same year: 1996.

[REDCALCIUMTRAIN]

PSA 182 final words are the saddest in my opinion “I love you ma”

[itsMeeeeeh]

cant forgot when a airliner and a fighter jet collided too

[yandrabrack]

Im brazilian and its sad to hear about gol 1907😢😢😢

[Tot_ye]

People in 1947: we will have flying cars in 2023!
2023: haha airplane collision edit with slowed music go BRRRR

[skulkuh]

One time a F-4 Phantom II crashed into a DC-9. All 49 people aboard the DC-9 died, but the Radar Intercept Officer ejected, and survived.

[BazzasAviation]

Imagine being the pilot of that 747 and seeing that an md-11 (Same Airline) is rushing at your face. That must’ve of been scary.

[Hellocube]

Sky is so wide but there's still air-craft that got victim to mid-air collision

[panzer_tank]

thats why atc exists, to prevent air collisions so most/all of these were human error

[da-enemy-AC--above]

"All American" B-17 collision with Bf-109| survivors: 9 (entire crew of the B-17 survived)
Deaths: 1 (Bf-109 pilot)

[Mariamotta]

uberlinger mid air collision:what about me?

[Iraqcountryballoffical]

Hugest airways 706: what about me?
Hudson River Mid Air Collision: and me to
TWA Flight 553: Bruh

[calixyeuseffgregorycamarin]

What about Hughes Airwest 706 crashing in to the marine F-4 Phantom?
(anyways congrats on 10k subs)

[thatonefunnymemer]

Those 7 survivors were really lucky to still have their lives

[INVADERZIMA-dg]

*2022 Dallas airshow mid-air collision has left the chat.*