Report faults air traffic control for Coast Guard plane, Marine helicopter crash that killed 9

Report faults air controllers for CA midair crash

SAN DIEGO — A failure by Navy air traffic controllers to follow standard procedures contributed to a midair collision that killed seven Coast Guard members and two Marines off Southern California last year, according to a Coast Guard report released Tuesday.

Controllers at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, near San Diego, failed to notify the pilot of a Coast Guard C-130 plane that four Marine helicopters were in the area. The Marine flyers were also unaware of the Coast Guard plane’s presence.

The report said there is no single reason or person to blame for the crash on the night of Oct. 29, 2009. It made a series of recommendations to improve safety in the largely unregulated airspace.

The collision occurred in a so-called military warning area — airspace that is not controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration. Pilots are on their own to watch for others in the area.

The collision “was the product of a tragic confluence of events, missed opportunities and procedure/policy issues where most aircraft fly under a ’see-and-avoid’ regime,” the report said.

The Navy, in a separate report, called the collision “entirely preventable” and said it highlighted a need for better communication between air traffic controllers and pilots.

The Navy faulted the Coast Guard and Marine pilots for failing to watch out for each other, saying it was their responsibility to avoid crashing under “see-and-avoid” rules, even though the controller was aware of their presence.

“Both aircraft were operating under visual flight rules and were ultimately responsible for their own safety, navigation and separation from other aircraft,” the Navy report said.

The Navy acknowledged that the controller failed to alert the pilots and recommended that a supervisor be assigned to provide additional oversight. It said the controller was giving higher priority at the time to Navy F/A-18 fighter jets in the area.

“The unfortunate thing is, had any of the parties done anything differently we might have avoided this tragic confluence of events,” said Cmdr. Pauline Storum, a Navy spokeswoman.

The Coast Guard report also said the Marine pilots gave the guard crew “little opportunity” to see them, contributing to the crash. The Marine Cobra helicopter that crashed had not turned on its anti-collision light and transponder.

The Coast Guard C-130 plane was on a mission to rescue a missing boater near San Clemente Island when it crashed into the Marine helicopter about 50 miles off the coast. The Marines were on a training exercise.

“At this point, we’re here not to fix blame but to fix the problems,” said Lt. Cmdr. Rick Foster, a Coast Guard spokesman.

Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

(This version corrects spelling of Coast Guard spokesman to Rick, not Rich.)