PSA 182 (Pacific Southwest Airlines ), Lindbergh Field , San Diego, September 25, 1978

The following are transcripts of dialogue1 that precedes the collision between Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight #182 and a Cessna 172 over San Diego. The dialogue is reconstructed using recorded radio communications and the Boeing’s Cockpit Voice Recorder. To establish the context, the Cessna is a training flight practicing instrument flying near Lindbergh Field (San Diego’s main airport). The sky is clear and the weather pleasant. On board are an Instructor and a Commercial Pilot Student, and they are practising instrument approaches2 at the Lindberg Field facilities. The Boeing 727 is inbound to Lindberg Field after a short flight from Los Angeles. Initially, the Approach Controller is working both aircraft. Note that the PSA crew leaves the Approach Controller’s frequency and contact the Tower Controller at Lindberg Field. Thus, the pilots of the two aircraft end up talking to different controllers on different radio frequencies.

Crew

Captain James McFeron—14,000 hours flying experience.
First Officer Robert Fox—10,000 hours.
Flight Engineer Martin Wahne.
Flight Instructor Martin Kazy—5,000 hours.

APP	Approach Controller
T	Tower Controller
C	Captain
FO	First Officer
P	Cessna Pilot
ODC	Off-duty Captain in jump seat
UID	unidentified person

APP:	Cessna 7711G, radar contact, maintain VFR at or below 3500, fly heading 070, vector (for) final approach course.3
P:	(to ATC): 7711G on the heading and VFR below 3500.
APP:	PSA182, traffic at 12 o’clock,4 three miles, out of 1700.
FO:	Got him!
C:	(to ATC): Traffic in sight.
APP:	OK sir, maintain visual separation,5 contact Lindbergh Tower 133.3. Have a nice day now!
FO:	Flaps two.6
C:	(to ATC): Lindbergh, PSA182. Downwind.
T:	PSA182, Lindbergh Tower, traffic 12 o’clock, one mile, a Cessna.
F:	Flaps 5.
C:	(to F): Is that the one we’re looking at? 7
F:	Yeah—but I don’t see him now.
C:	(to ATC): OK—we had it there a minute ago.
T:	PSA 182, Roger.
C:	(to ATC): I think he’s passed off to our right.
T:	Yeah.
C:	(to F): He was right over here a minute ago.
F:	Yeah.
T:	How far are you going to take your downwind, PSA182? Company traffic is waiting for departure.
C:	(to ATC): Ah, probably about three to four miles.
T:	OK.
T:	PSA182—cleared to land.
C:	(to ATC): PSA 182’s cleared to land.
C:	(to F): Are we clear of that Cessna?
F:	Supposed to be!
C:	I guess.
F:	Flaps 15.
ODC:	(laughing): I hope!
C:	(positively): Yeah—before we turned downwind, I saw him about one o’clock—probably behind us now.
F:	Gear down.
F:	There’s one underneath . . I was looking at that inbound there.
C:	Whoops! (as F pulls up).
F:	Arghhh!
Metallic crunching noise.
ODC:	Oh ####!
C:	Easy baby, easy baby . . what have we got here?
F:	It’s bad.
C:	Eh?
F:	We’re hit man—we are hit!
C:	(to ATC): Tower—we’re going down—this is PSA.
T:	OK—we’ll call the equipment for you!
UID:	Whoo!
Sound of stall warning.
C:	(to ATC): This is it, baby!
UID:	####
C:	(on PA system): Brace yourself!
UID:	Hey baby . .
UID:	Ma, I love you . .
End of Recording.

References

1 Macarthur Job, Air Disaster (Ibid) (see pp. 23-35 of Vol. 2).

2 The student pilot is practising flying the aircraft for an approach just above the runway using only radio navigation displays inside the cockpit. The student will likely be under the hood, while the Instructor keeps an eye out for other air traffic.

3 “Cessna 7711G” is the expression used by the controller to identify the aircraft he is communicating to; “radar contact” means the aircraft has been identified by the controller on radar. The controller instructs the pilot to remain VFR (visual flight rules), which means the pilot must keep sight of ground at all times. The pilot must keep below 3500 feet and turn the heading of the aircraft to 070°. “Vectors” means the controller will sequentially give the pilot headings to fly that will lead to the final approach course.

4 The controller’s reference to 12 o’clock means the aircraft, or “target”, is directly ahead of the Boeing. “Out of 1700” means the controller’s radar shows that the aircraft is climbing through 1700’.

5 “Maintain visual separation” is the final instruction of the Approach Controller before the pilot is instructed to contact the next controller—in this case the Tower Controller at Lindbergh airport. Keeping a safe distance from the target—the Cessna—is now the responsibility of the Boeing pilot. It is important to know that the Approach Controller and Tower Controller are at physically different locations; all they have is a telephone connection, and while they are likely looking at the same radar display, the controllers do not monitor each other’s radio communications—they are on different radio frequencies and neither will hear what the other is saying.

6 The First Officer, who is flying, instructs the Captain, who is essentially in a support position in the cockpit, to set the flaps of the Boeing to 2°. In supporting the First Officers, the Captain is also doing all radio communications.

7 Importantly, the First Officer saw the target; the Captain did not.