Allegheny Airlines Flight 853, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, collided in mid-air with a Piper PA-28 at approximately 3550 feet on September 9, 1969 near Fairland, Indiana. The DC-9 carried 78 passengers and 4 crew. The Piper was leased to a student pilot making a solo cross-country flight. The occupants of both aircraft were killed in the accident and the aircraft were destroyed by the collision and ground impact. Allegheny Airlines (IATA: AL, ICAO: ALO, and Callsign: Allegheny) was an airline based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... The Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engined jet airliner, first manufactured in 1965 and, in much modified form and under a succession of different names, still in production today as the Boeing 717. ... The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... Fairland is a census-designated place located in Shelby County, Indiana. ... Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 38th 94,321 km² 225 km 435 km 1. ...

Flight History

Allegheny 853 (N988VJ), a DC-9, was a regularly scheduled flight departing Boston, MA for St. Louis, MO with stops in Baltimore, MD, Cincinnati, OH and Indianapolis, IN. The flight departed Cincinnati at 3:15pm enroute to Indianapolis. Allegheny 853, flying under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance to Indianapolis, was instructed by Indianapolis Approach Control to descend to 2500 feet after passing the Shelbyville VOR at 6000 feet. The flight was then vectored to a 280 degree heading. Meanwhile, the PA-28 (N7374J) was on a southeasterly heading operating under a filed Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight plan which indicated a cruising altitude of 3500 feet. The PA-28 was not in communication with Air Traffic Control and it was inconclusive if the PA-28 was a radar target on the radarscope. in-flight refueling Instrument flight rules Interface Repository Integral Fast Reactor This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Approach control refers to a control station in an air operations control center, helicopter direction center, or carrier air traffic control center, that is responsible for controlling air traffic as it transitions from control by an en-route control center and enters a terminal area. ... This article is about the radio navigation aid, see vestibulo-ocular reflex for the important eye movement that has provided insight into cerebellum-dependent motor learning. ... The Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR - Spaceflight Society) was an association of amateur rocket enthusiasts active in Germany from 1927 to 1933. ...

Witness Reports

Eight witnesses saw the aircraft collide. They reported broken to scattered cloud cover in the area, but both aircraft were below the clouds and could be seen clearly at the time of the collision. Neither aircraft attempted a collision avoidance maneuver according to the witnesses. Wreckage analysis later concluded the PA-28's left forward side just forward of the left wing root clipped the DC-9's upper right vertical tail just below the horizontal stabilizer.

Probable Cause

The National Transportation Safety Board in a report adopted July 15, 1970 released the following Probable Cause: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is a U.S. government organization responsible for investigation of accidents involving aviation, highway, marine, pipelines and railroads in the United States. ...

The Board determines the probable cause of this accident to be the deficiencies in the collision avoidance capability of the Air Traffic Control system of the Federal Aviation Administration in a terminal area wherein there was mixed Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) traffic. The deficiencies included the inadequacy of the see-and-avoid concept under the circumstances of this case; the technical limitations of radar in detecting all aircraft; and the absence of Federal Aviation Regulations which would provide a system of adequate separation of mixed VFR and IFR traffic in terminal areas. Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs) at Schiphol Airport Air Traffic Control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air to ensure safe, orderly and expeditious traffic flow. ... FAA may refer to: Federal Aviation Administration in the United States Fleet Air Arm in the UK Royal Navy Fuerza Aérea Argentina in Argentina This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... in-flight refueling Instrument flight rules Interface Repository Integral Fast Reactor This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR - Spaceflight Society) was an association of amateur rocket enthusiasts active in Germany from 1927 to 1933. ... The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governing all aviation activities in the United States. ...

References

All information for this page was taken from the NTSB Aircraft Accident Report dated July 15, 1970, Report Number NTSB-AAR-70-15.

External links

• Allegheny 853 Memorial