Mayday Air Crash Investigations - S09 E04 - Cleared for Disaster
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00:003875, good night now.
00:02Sunday, 518, taxi across runway 24L.
00:05Contact ground point 651...
00:07February the 1st, 1991.
00:10Los Angeles International Airport, LAX.
00:13246, heading 270, contact Los Angeles departure.
00:17Thank you, U.S. Air 1493, you're cleared to land, 24L.
00:21Clear to land, 24L, speed 93.
00:25Travelling at 240 km per hour,
00:28U.S. Air flight 4093 descends towards runway 24L.
00:34What the hell?
00:39I pointed to the aircraft and yelled,
00:41U.S. Air is crashing.
00:43The aircraft was fully engulfed in flames.
00:48But the full scope of this tragedy
00:50is far greater than anyone can imagine.
00:53Made it, made it.
00:58At one of the busiest airports in the world, a Boeing 737 has just exploded in flames upon landing.
01:28I think the thought process in the tower was, it was 1991, it was one of the first nights of the first Gulf War.
01:35And I think the thing that was foremost in our mind was maybe it was a bomb that went off on the aircraft.
01:42As firefighters bring the blaze under control, rescuers begin searching for survivors.
01:48About five minutes after the incident occurred, we got a call from an emergency vehicle.
01:55Amid the wreckage, they have made an alarming discovery.
01:58One that forces everyone involved to re-examine every detail of the last 15 minutes.
02:03U.S. Air Flight 1493 cruises towards Los Angeles International Airport.
02:23LAX is a central hub for international travelers.
02:34Just confirm the visual approach for U.S. Air 1493 is 2-4 left.
02:40That's correct, U.S. Air 1493.
02:42For the approach, Captain Colin Shaw is managing radio communications.
02:49First Officer David Kelly is at the controls.
02:52With 89 passengers on board, the flight isn't quite full.
03:01Well, I'd been on a business trip to Columbus, Ohio.
03:09I went from the business meetings to the Columbus airport and got on a U.S. Air flight that was nonstop to Los Angeles.
03:17I planned a lot of good things and good times for that weekend.
03:24U.S. Air 1493, expedite your descent through 4,000 as much as practical if you would.
03:30There will be traffic pass above you on the south side.
03:32As the Boeing 737 nears Los Angeles, the approach controller tells the pilots to make a quick descent.
03:41They will need to stay clear of a flight passing above them.
03:45OK, I'll expedite crew 4, U.S. Air 1493.
03:53Landing at LAX can be a challenge for pilots.
03:56The airspace around the airport is often thick with traffic.
03:59On average, a plane arrives or departs every 50 seconds.
04:08Each of its four runways handles both takeoffs and landings.
04:13Taxiways intersect the runways at dozens of locations.
04:17The airport can be a maze of stops and starts for pilots following instructions issued by controllers.
04:23737, turn 80 to 010 on your step 4, right.
04:27You got the left side in sight?
04:28737, turn 80 to 010 on your step 4, right.
04:30Yeah.
04:32We're out at 4.
04:33We're out at 4.
04:33U.S. Air 1493, thanks for your help.
04:58Contact Los Angeles Tower 133.9.
05:01Good night.
05:01Good night.
05:05Gear down.
05:06All right.
05:07You gave three bells?
05:08Yes, I did.
05:16Perched 12 stories above the ground, tower controllers have a hawk's eye view of traffic coming and going from the airport.
05:24It was a busy night.
05:26There was a lot of airplanes.
05:27We had numerous arrivals and departures during that time of the night, so it was a typical day.
05:34Elliot Brann is the clearance delivery controller.
05:37The primary duties of the clearance delivery controller is issuing the routes of flight and the flight plans to the pilots as they come out of the computer.
05:48A flight strip is printed out, so you get a piece of paper with the call sign, type aircraft, route of flight.
05:53I issue the clearance to the pilot, and then I pass the strips, the flight information to the next controller.
05:59Brann shares flight information with four other controllers.
06:04Two ground controllers, who handle planes moving between the gates and the runways, and two local controllers, who are responsible for planes taking off and landing.
06:17Tonight, local controller Robin Washer is overseeing the two north runways at LAX, 24 left and 24 right.
06:24She uses the flight strips to keep track of flights departing and arriving.
06:32U.S. Air 23 taxiing to position and hold runway 24 left.
06:36Position and hold, 24 left, U.S. Air 23.
06:39British, 990, 4, Morocco.
06:42246, you still holding short of 47?
06:4446, affirmative.
06:45All right, you're next.
06:47Skywest 569, taxi up and hold short of runway 24 left.
06:51Roger, hold short.
06:54Skywars 32.75, good night now.
07:07U.S. Air flight 1493 is about 13 kilometers from LAX.
07:13The pilots configure their plane for landing.
07:16Speed brakes.
07:18Still working for a living.
07:22All right.
07:23The labs are going one.
07:28Reps.
07:30Now the pilots radio the LAX tower for landing instructions.
07:35U.S. Center 1493. Inside, Robin.
07:39Wing 536, ground, tower.
07:45Robin Washer is busy with other planes.
07:49She doesn't respond to their radio call.
07:52Skywest 569, taxi to position hold, runway 24L.
07:56Traffic will cross downfield.
07:59Okay, 24L, position and hold, Skywest 569.
08:03Wing West 5006, tower.
08:06Nat 2166, gunning approach 124.5.
08:1330, green lights, to 10.
08:17Gear, flaps.
08:19Landing clearance remains.
08:23Just six kilometers from the airport.
08:26The U.S. air jet still doesn't have the okay to land.
08:29Sundance 518, taxi across runway 24L.
08:43Contact ground point 65 when you're off the runway. Good night.
08:46Captain Shaw contacts the tower for the second time in less than a minute.
08:56He needs Washer's permission to land.
08:59U.S. air 1493 for the left side.
09:0224L.
09:03246 heading 270, contact Los Angeles departure.
09:08Good night.
09:09But she's still focused on other planes.
09:16Out of a thousand feet.
09:18Flight 1493 is now one minute from the runway.
09:21It's what pilots call short final.
09:25Sometimes due to other priorities that take place, an aircraft might not get a landing clearance until short final.
09:35Thank you, U.S. air 1493, you're cleared to land.
09:442-4 left.
09:45Clear to land.
09:462-4 left.
09:481493.
09:494-4 left.
10:02Looks real good.
10:08You're coming out of 500.
10:19What the hell?
10:37The U.S. air 737 has barely touched down.
10:41It erupts in flames and crashes through Los Angeles International Airport.
10:46I saw U.S. air touch down.
10:49And as he got about mid, about third way down the runway, a taxiway 45, the aircraft was fully engulfed in flames.
10:58The supervisor ran past me to pick up the crash phone and alert the emergency vehicles to respond.
11:06Aboard the flight, sheer terror.
11:09There was a tremendous crunching sensation and there was this extraordinary shower of sparks that shot by my window.
11:21Good God.
11:34Rosa Reynoso is a plain clothes officer with the airport police.
11:40We see the aircraft engulfed in fire.
11:42My partner and I were probably about 500 yards from it.
11:48Alert 33, runway 24L.
11:50Affirmative alert 33.
11:55The initial moments were very scary, very chaotic.
11:59I remember just thinking to myself, oh God, please get some more people out here.
12:03Get me fire, get me officers, get me somebody, because this is not good.
12:09In the tower, there's no time to dwell on what's happened.
12:15Other aircraft are still coming in to land.
12:19Controllers must direct them to safety.
12:22Wings left, 5212.
12:24Wings 240 at 8, you are cleared to land.
12:27Runway 24R.
12:29Use caution.
12:31We just had an aircraft go off the runway in flames.
12:33The cabin of flight 1493 is filling with toxic smoke.
12:46Some passengers rush to a door at the rear of the plane.
12:51I probably got seven or eight rows down the aisle, and then I encountered a cluster of passengers standing in the aisle, not moving.
13:05I thought to myself, there must be an opening in the front of the plane that allowed for this tremendous quantity of smoke to roll into the plane so quickly.
13:15And so I stumbled forward to the cockpit area, and there was tremendous fire on both sides of the plane.
13:25I said to myself, my gosh, there's no way you're going to get out of this airplane, David, you're trapped.
13:32Outside, some have escaped the plane.
13:39Rosa Reynoso is the first emergency responder to arrive at the scene.
13:45The fire was intense. It was very, very hot. I mean, almost singiness.
13:52She needs to act fast to help passengers away from the burning wreckage.
13:56The passengers were trying to escape the plane from the emergency exit doors.
14:03However, the fire had engulfed the doors, so some of the people that were fine jumped out of the plane and into the fire.
14:11More emergency personnel arrive within minutes.
14:15Both passengers are coming out of that door.
14:16Some people were on fire. Some of them were scratched, cut up. Some of them had broken legs. It was pretty traumatic.
14:29And I think you just start operating on knowing that you have to do the right thing and try and save these people.
14:36David Koch is still inside.
14:44I suddenly saw a crack of light.
14:48And my God, it was a miracle.
14:51The crack opened up and I suddenly realized that I had opened the galley door.
14:58But now he faces another hurdle.
15:01He can't even see the ground through the fire and smoke.
15:07And I said to myself, what the hell, and jumped out.
15:12I landed on the ground and then started crawling on my hands and knees away from the airplane.
15:21I had a great sense of guilt.
15:28Why did I not go back into the airplane and say, follow me?
15:35And I think if I'd gone back into the cabin, I might have passed out and fallen on the floor and died.
15:41And that's how I've come to terms with the fact that I got out but didn't help anybody else out.
15:57As the search for survivors continues, firefighters make a stunning find.
16:01This is rescue one. We've got a propeller down here in the wreckage.
16:13The discovery of a propeller has horrifying implications.
16:18There's two planes down here.
16:19As soon as we found out that information, we started actively looking to see what aircraft, if any, were missing.
16:32So we started looking at the flight strips that were already departed.
16:37And then we looked at the ones that were still pending.
16:40And then we called the departure radar controller to find out which ones they've talked to in the last five, six minutes.
16:45Uh, what about SkyWest 5569?
16:50No, we haven't heard from them.
16:52SkyWest 569, taxi into position, hold, runway 24L.
16:57Okay, 24L, position in hold, SkyWest 569.
17:06Staff can account for all of the aircraft except for SkyWest 5569.
17:10A Fairchild Metroliner bound for Palmdale, California.
17:13Emergency personnel find parts of the smaller plane strewn across runway 24L.
17:16There were 12 people on board the flight.
17:21None have survived.
17:23What's left of their plane is crushed.
17:24between U.S. Air 1493 and an abandoned building near the runway.
17:25My first thought was, oh my God, there was someone else under there.
17:26And we didn't even realize it.
17:27And we didn't even realize it.
17:28There's even more loss of life on board the larger plane.
17:31There's even more loss of life on board the larger plane.
17:32Twenty are dead.
17:34Two others are mortally wounded.
17:35There were two people on board the flight.
17:36There were three people on board the flight.
17:37None have survived.
17:39What's left of their plane is crushed between U.S. Air 1493 and an abandoned building near the runway.
17:46My first thought was, oh my God, there's someone else under there.
17:51And we didn't even realize it.
17:53There's even more loss of life on board the larger plane.
17:58Twenty are dead. Two others are mortally wounded.
18:02First Officer Kelly has survived, but Captain Shaw has not.
18:06The disaster thrusts LAX into the media spotlight.
18:11America's runway, according to the nation's pilots,
18:15is the most dangerous part of the flight.
18:18In the months and years leading up to the crash,
18:21increasing traffic was becoming a safety concern at Los Angeles International Airport.
18:28The most close calls? Los Angeles International Airport.
18:32Thirty-three near collisions over the last four years.
18:35That's one every month and a half.
18:38The accident confirms safety issues need to be addressed.
18:45The National Transportation Safety Board sends its GO team to LAX to investigate.
18:51It was kind of a horrific scene.
18:55The front end of the airplane was impaled on the captain's side against the building.
19:02And with close inspection, we could see parts of another aircraft underneath.
19:11Investigators can see that the two planes collided at an intersection on runway 24L.
19:16The scenario of the accident resulted in two planes being on the runway at the same time.
19:26The runway was occupied.
19:28And that's something that should never happen when a landing clearance is granted.
19:35Reducing collisions on U.S. runways is a priority for investigators from the NTSB.
19:41We had runway incursions on the most wanted list from 1990 here at the Safety Board.
19:48And it's a major concern for the whole industry.
19:53A runway incursion is simply when an inappropriate object is out on a runway that's going to be used for a take-off or landing.
20:03Some of the world's worst airline disasters have taken place on runways.
20:10In March 1977, on the island of Tenerife, 583 people died when two Boeing 747s collided on the runway.
20:22In January 1990, a Beechcraft King Air 100 was struck by a Boeing 727 attempting to land in Atlanta.
20:38Later that year in Detroit, another Boeing 727 smashed straight into a DC-9 carrying 44 people.
20:45Runway incursions occur due to some failure in the existing system.
20:59Something has happened.
21:02Some directive has not been followed.
21:05Some inattention is present in the scenario of a runway incursion.
21:09Which one of these planes was cleared for 24L?
21:18Investigators need to find out why there were two planes on runway 24L at the same time.
21:24One of the principal objectives was to immediately see if we could find out what error had taken place that would allow that situation to occur.
21:32Part of that answer may lie in the wreckage.
21:36But 24 hours after the crash, the investigation is at a near standstill.
21:42There's too much fuel on board the 737.
21:45Crawling through the wreckage would be dangerous.
21:48The aircraft had about 6,000 pounds, maybe 1,000 gallons of fuel on board.
21:57How long is this going to take?
21:58The Saturday was spent defueling the aircraft.
22:04And that's a very slow process.
22:08That took almost all day before the fire department could declare that the scene was safe.
22:15With airplane parts littering the airport, LAX is running at half capacity.
22:22Two of the four runways are shut down.
22:25That's causing chaos for travelers.
22:28When the NTSB team finally gets access to the wreckage, they're under enormous pressure to act quickly.
22:41They must gather all the information they need so the airport can be fully reopened.
22:50Their investigation has a dual purpose.
22:53They must figure out what caused the collision.
22:57They also want to know why so many passengers got trapped and died in the burning aircraft.
23:02We're not sure what went on, we don't have a recording of it, but there were some altercations with people trying to get ahead of other people.
23:16Making matters worse, one of the emergency exit doors is inside the plane, partially blocking the exit.
23:24If you follow the instructions on the card, the exit card, it will tell you to throw that exit out.
23:31This did not take place, so the right over the wing exit was, I would say, partially obstructed by that large hatch.
23:39The NTSB concludes that a reduced number of exit doors made it impossible for many of the passengers to escape.
23:50With no way out, they were overcome by toxic smoke as it filled the cabin.
23:56While some investigators analyze wreckage at the crash site, others focus on air traffic control.
24:09Well, first and foremost, we look at the communications, then we also look at the procedures within the facility and how those are applied and were they indeed followed.
24:20To learn more, the NTSB collects the audio tapes of the controller's communications with the planes.
24:28Investigators wonder what instructions were given to the pilots in the moments leading up to the crash.
24:35They also want to know what the flight crews were saying during those crucial seconds.
24:41Did the pilots follow their instructions?
24:44The cockpit voice recorders should provide investigators with the answer.
25:01But then Bob McIntosh gets some bad news about the SkyWest Metroliner.
25:06No voice recorder.
25:09Great.
25:10We recognized, looking at the onboard equipment, that SkyWest 569 did not have a CVR flight recorder installed.
25:22And that was disappointing to us.
25:27At the time of the crash, commuter planes were not required to carry cockpit voice recorders.
25:33This means the only SkyWest conversations caught on tape are radio communications recorded in the control tower.
25:46The two cockpit crew members would have exchanged words, would have been listening to the air traffic information that was coming into their cockpit all the time.
25:55And we recognized that that was a valuable piece of data that we lost.
26:03Using the air traffic control tapes and just one CVR, investigators try to find out which of the two aircraft in the collision was actually cleared to use runway 24 left.
26:14The answer will raise alarming questions about the safety of all passengers flying to and from LAX.
26:25The investigation into the deadly collision on runway 24 left focuses on Robin Washer's conversations with the two planes involved.
26:38Investigators begin with the smaller plane.
26:4323 taxi into position.
26:45Minutes before the accident, the pilots of the Metroliner waited for permission to take off.
26:50SkyWest 569 taxi into position and hold runway 24 left.
26:55Traffic will be cropping downhill.
26:56We use the tapes to try to visualize like a local controller would where the aircraft would be on the runway.
27:06The pilots of the SkyWest Metroliner turned their plane onto the runway and stopped at intersection 45.
27:14They had to wait for another plane to cross the runway downfield.
27:18Okay, 24 left position and hold. SkyWest 569.
27:23Okay. Stop right there.
27:26From the air traffic control tapes, the NTSB can tell that the pilots of the Metroliner followed all their instructions correctly.
27:36Alright, let's keep going.
27:39Responsibility for the accident must lie elsewhere.
27:44Investigators probe the tapes further.
27:46They look at Washer's communications with the U.S. Air pilots.
27:55U.S. Air 1493 for the left side.
28:002-4 left.
28:02Thank you, U.S. Air 1493. You're cleared to land. 2-4 left.
28:06U.S. Air 1493 was cleared to land on the same runway during the time that SkyWest 569 was still sitting in position on that same runway.
28:16Clear to land. 2-4 left.
28:18U.S. Air 1493.
28:21SkyWest 569, right at intersection 45.
28:25How long has it been there?
28:27How long has it been there?
28:32One minute, seven seconds.
28:35The air traffic control tapes reveal that Robin Washer instructed both the SkyWest Metroliner and the U.S. Air flight to use runway 24 left at the same time.
28:45Left contact ground point one foot five one foot.
28:55What the hell?
28:56when we're examining the recorded voice communications what we try to do is to
29:13put ourselves in the position of the controller what would she have seen what would she have heard
29:20what would she have done investigators need to know what Robin washer was doing at the time of
29:28the crash they look at the other flights that she had under her control they learned that in the
29:38moments before the collision washer began to lose track of some of those flights no sir hold short
29:47wings west 5006 taxi across runway 24 left wings west 5006 was an aircraft that was on the north
29:58side of runway 24 left who wanted to cross to the south side wings was 5006 ground tower and when
30:08she was ready to cross the aircraft the crew did not respond washer spent nearly a full minute of her
30:18time trying to re-establish radio contact with the flight crossing the runway can I hear the rest of
30:25that exchange they advised her they they had inadvertently been on another frequency 5006 you're back with me
30:45but investigators discover that that flight wasn't the only aircraft Robin washer was fixated on in the
31:09moments before the crash with us air 1493 less than a minute from touchdown washer hears from another
31:26wings west aircraft flight 5072 when wings west 5072 called to say that he was ready for departure
31:35it was obvious to us that she didn't understand who this aircraft was wings west 5072 are you at 47 or full
31:43length we're at full length okay hold short roger holding short investigators need to hear from washer herself
31:58i couldn't find the flight progress trip they hope to learn why she didn't recognize a flight that was under her control
32:08i couldn't find the strip so i asked my supervisor to help me francina
32:13i need a strip for wings west 5072
32:22she explains that as the pilots of the metroliner waited on the runway for permission to take off
32:27she was searching for another flight's progress strip
32:34before she could get back on track us air flight 1493 crashed into the back of the metroliner
32:44what the hell
32:45ntsb investigators now know that human error played a major role in the collision at lax
33:00remarkably when she cleared the us air flight to land robin washer simply forgot about the metroliner
33:07waiting on the runway
33:08this is the situation that occurred is a con is a situation that no controller wants to go through
33:17you train your whole career for this not to happen and when it does happen it's uh you can't even
33:23describe the feelings that you go through
33:28a situation like this could potentially happen to anybody we are all human
33:33after the accident washer left her job at lax and never worked as an air traffic controller again
33:43but investigators believe there are likely more causes to this accident than one person's fatal error
33:50anytime that you do an investigation it's easy to point the blame at one individual
33:56what you want to do is to say why did this occur and what can we do to prevent a reoccurrence
34:05answers to those questions begin to emerge as the ntsb examines the daily routine in the control tower in
34:11the weeks before the accident
34:15it was one of those you don't know you have a problem until you have a problem
34:19it turns out another disaster was narrowly averted seven months before the collision
34:27a landing dc-10 flew just over an airbus waiting on the runway to take off at lax
34:34los angeles airport has always been known as one of the number one runway incursion airports in the system
34:40and changes were overdue
34:42so that's what we do
34:44controllers at lax produced documentation showing that immediately after that close call
34:49they alerted officials that the control tower was understaffed
34:56they also explained that regions around the northern runways were invisible to controllers
35:01because their view was blocked by a light tower
35:21we went up in the tower climbed the stairs and asked the air traffic controllers to step aside while
35:27we sat in their chairs and looked out the window the view that the air traffic controller was presented
35:35with had an obstruction a light pole that produced a glare and it was a light that lit up the airport ramp
35:49robin washer may not have been able to see the sky west metroliner as it sat out on the runway
35:57and t-sb investigators look at other tools she could have used to detect the forgotten plane
36:05the surface radar is generally used during periods of low visibility it is a tool by which the local
36:12controller should they so choose be able to visually confirm on that scope that an aircraft is indeed where
36:21it says it is ground radar displays all aircraft and ground vehicles moving around the airport
36:33but on the night of the accident that system wasn't working
36:39you're holding short is that correct sir yes ma'am we're holding short it was in uh constant uh out of
36:46service in service out of service in service and gave the management a lot of trouble
36:56the system was not very reliable and we did lodge complaints to uh have it fixed and to upgrade the
37:03system as soon as we could investigators learned that just four days before the accident officials at
37:10lax had formally asked the faa to treat the failing ground radar with the highest priority
37:20the radar drive and the some of the drive mechanism had some ring gears and and spur gears that they had
37:28to go to machine shops and literally make that part because it would wear out on a regular basis trying to
37:35rotate the antenna we looked into this particular problem and learned that los angeles had been slated
37:43to receive a new system in 1988 however that date had slipped and at that time they were not sure when
37:53they were going to get a new radar system with the ground radar system out of commission and with her view
38:00of the runway impeded by blinding lights robin washer's chances of discovering her error were slim
38:10investigators turned their attention to the cockpit of the u.s air flight
38:15they wonder why the pilots didn't see the metroliner out on the runway and abort their landing
38:22well most of us in the pilot community would recognize
38:26that uh it's our job to scan that runway and find aircraft that might be out there or anything else
38:32prior to landing like all planes the metroliner is equipped with lights to make it more visible at night
38:40there are strobe lights on the wingtips and the tail navigation lights on the wings and a colored
38:46anti-collision beacon on top of the vertical stabilizer we were concerned about the uh the sky west lighting
38:53and uh and had to look at the flight operations manual and uh we found that the operating procedure
38:58for that company was to turn on the strobe lights only after clearance for takeoff so no other lights
39:05were required okay thank you
39:13the metroliner wasn't yet cleared for takeoff so the only lights that would have been lit while it waited
39:19on the runway were the navigation lights on the wings and tail and the anti-collision beacon on the tail
39:27ntsb investigators then use a helicopter to put themselves in the position of the u.s air pilots
39:32as they were making the approach to runway 24 left we went up and we actually flew that final approach
39:40in order to verify uh what we uh what we thought might be the condition of obscuration
39:49they positioned a metro liner on the runway in the same spot where the collision occurred
39:58and sure enough we could not see uh that uh that aircraft uh parked out there at uh
40:04spot 45 and 47 you just couldn't see it
40:11looks real good
40:12the investigation determines the lights on the metro liner were the same color and brightness as the
40:21runway lights the plane may have been all but invisible to the pilots of us air 1493
40:28you're coming out of 500
40:33the anti-collision beacon in particular would have been lost in a sea of lights
40:37when the national transportation safety board releases its report controller error is determined
41:03to be a cause of the runway collision
41:11we're in the uh in the business of determining uh why something happened you may call it a cause or
41:17causes or contributing factors but our job ends when the next accident is prevented
41:25preventing accidents on the runways of lax would prove to be a much greater challenge
41:29than investigators could imagine
41:38the collision between us air flight 1493 and a sky west metro liner alarms the public
41:47the accident seems to prove that controllers cannot safely handle the increasing traffic at los
41:52angeles international airport the ntsb investigation points to robin washer's failure to maintain
42:01awareness of the flights under her control as one cause of the accident
42:09but the report also points to a failing system in the air traffic control facilities at lax
42:14in the months and years following the accident improvements are made to air traffic facilities
42:21in an attempt to make the airport a safer place the failing ground radar system is finally replaced with
42:28a newer model today at los angeles tower we have the newest system out there each arrival or departure
42:35they're taxing on the taxiways or on the runways have a call sign and type aircraft associated with it so
42:40you have positive identification of all aircraft at all times new policies governing the way flight
42:47progress strips are handled in the tower are put in place ground controllers now organize the strips
42:53before they make their way to the local controller
42:59the extra set of eyes reduces the local controller's workload
43:02five years after the crash a new air traffic control tower is built at lax the tower is 16 stories higher
43:15three times larger and offers controllers clear unobstructed sight lines
43:22new regulations concerning aircraft lighting are also put in place
43:25it becomes mandatory for pilots to turn on all their lights before they move out onto a runway
43:44but despite the improvements the rate of runway incursions at lax only goes up
43:49through the 90s and even into the 2000s i would describe it as a common event lax certainly was one of the worst airports we had for a number of incursions
44:03ten years after the accident more serious runway incursions were happening at lax than at any other airport in the united states
44:12they had double digit runway incursions and serious runway incursions
44:17almost every year and in fact in 2007 they actually had 21 runway incursions
44:26in an attempt to reduce the problem once and for all the federal aviation administration begins work
44:32on a new system of runway lights to keep planes apart on the ground runway status light system
44:38is a series of runway entrance lighting that we put at taxiways or take off whole lighting that we
44:46actually put on the runway itself
44:50the system is fully automatic it uses a series of red lights embedded in the runways and taxiways
44:58the lights warn pilots if there is conflicting traffic the when we start to slice illuminate red tells a
45:05pilot that it is unsafe or a vehicle driver that it is unsafe to either cross or enter that runway
45:11and it triggers because there is an aircraft landing or departing there's some other traffic on the runway
45:19the runway status light seems to be one of the most effective systems we have for
45:23preventing runway incursions and certainly the serious runway incursions
45:28in april 2009 the technology was installed at los angeles international airport
45:34prototypes of the system have also been installed at dallas fort worth and san diego
45:42by 2011 runway status lights will be a key feature at dozens of airports across the united states
45:50the equipment we're using at los angeles tower today is much better than the equipment that we used
45:54back in 1991 it's been upgraded it's much more reliable and it gives the controllers the tools they need to
46:02make sure that the runways are clear and to keep the aircraft moving
46:07though new technology can never guarantee 100 safety the improvements at lax have restored
46:14public confidence in the airport even among those who survived flight 1493
46:19i spent a couple of days in intensive care local hospital and uh i had nightmares by the way following uh
46:29uh uh my release from uh from the hospital for uh quite a number of days uh but i'm doing fine now i have
46:37no problem up with uh getting on airplanes and and flying and i i've got great confidence in the airline system
46:44uh
46:49uh
46:51uh
46:53uh
46:55uh
46:57You