NTSB LAX88IA009 — 1987-10-09 · ONTARIO, California, United States

N413AA has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CESSNA 172S, built 2000), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N413AA McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 None

Probable cause & findings

FAILURE OF THE GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT TO VISUALLY IDENTIFY THE TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT. FACTURES CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE GENERAL AVIAITON AIRCRAFT TO ESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS WITH ATC PRIOR TO ENTERING THE ARSA AND MAINTAINING A POOR LOOKOUT.

Factual narrative

WHILE CLIMBING THRU 6,500 FEET MSL IN AN ARSA, THE FLT CREW OF THE AAL DC-9-82 OBSERVED A SMALL AIRCRAFT APPROACHING THEIR AIRCRAFT FROM DEAD AHEAD. THE SMALL AIRCRAFT WAS AT THE SAME ALTITUDE AND APROX 1/4 MILE AHEAD OF THEIR POSITION. THE SMALL AIRCRAFT WAS NOT COMMUNICATING WITH ATC AND CONTINUED ITS COLLISION COURSE TOWARDS THE TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT. THE DC-9-82 CREW INITIATED A RIGHT CLIMBING TURN AWAY FROM THE SMALL AIRCRAFT. THE CREW ESTIMATED THAT THE SMALL AIRCRAFT PASSED 50 FEET BELOW AND TO THE LEFT OF THEIR AIRCRAFT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1987_LAX88IA009.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.