Facts About Midair Collisions

Desiree Kocis

Monday, June 14, 2021 at 10:54 AM ET

Verified

An artist's rendition of one of the first midair collisions.

Key Takeaways:

Mid-air collisions, though rare (15-25 annually out of approximately 200 near-midair collisions), are 70% fatal and predominantly occur near airports (within 5 miles), below 1,000 feet, often at non-towered airports (78%), and frequently without radio communication.
Despite pilots having an average of 5,000 flight hours, the primary collision avoidance technique is the "see and avoid" method, which relies on effective traffic scanning, as 11% of advisories from Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) are ignored.
Significant past incidents, such as the 1996 Charkhi Dadri collision (349 fatalities), have underscored the severity of mid-airs and led to TCAS being mandated on commercial flights worldwide.

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Near-Midair Collisions Reported Each Year: Approximately 200
Actual Collisions: Between 15 and 25

Fatal: 70%

Distance From Airport Most Occur: Within 5 miles
Average Altitude: Less than 1,000 feet
Typical Meteorological Conditions: VFC
Most Common Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., weekends

Percent Occurring Within Traffic Pattern: Around half

During Takeoff/Climb: 10%
At Non-Towered Airports: 78%
Cases Involving No Radio Communication: About half
Cases Involving A CFI: 37%
Average Experience Of Pilots Involved: 5,000 flight hours
Common Scenario: Low-wing converging on high-wing
Less-Common: Formation flying, air-to-air photography

Collision Avoidance Technique Pushed By FAA: “See and avoid”
Critical Aspect: Traffic scanning
Also Known As: Keeping head on a swivel
Recommended Method: Block system scanning
# of Blocks To Divide The Sky: 9-12
Size For Each Block: 10-15Â° horizontally, 10Â° vertically
Minimum Area To Scan Around Intended Flight Path: 60Â° side-to-side, 10Â° up/down
Average Seconds Needed For An Effective Scan: 20

Technology Designed To Prevent Mid-Airs: Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)
How It Works: Monitors traffic, generates warnings (TAs) and mandatory actions (RAs)
Percent Of TCAS Advisories Ignored By Pilots: 11%

Deadliest Mid-Air: 1996 Charkhi Dadri collision
Fatalities: 349
Survivors: 0
Experience Of Captain At Fault: 9,200 flight hours
Aftermath: TCAS required on commercial flights worldwide

U.S. Midair Resulting In Sole Survivor (Initially): New York City, 1960
Aircraft Involved: United DC-8, TWA Super Constellation
Fatalities: 134
On Board: 128
On Ground: 6