1973 Sunnyvale mid-air collision

1973 Sunnyvale mid-air collision

Accident
Date	12 April 1973 (1973-04-12)
Summary	Mid-air collision due to ATC error
Site	1 km south of Moffet Field, California 37°24′00″N122°2′28″W / 37.40000°N 122.04111°W / 37.40000; -122.04111
Total fatalities	16
Total survivors	1
First aircraft
The CV-990 involved, seen in 1965
Type	Convair CV-990-30A-5 Coronado
Name	"Galileo"
Operator	NASA
Registration	N711NA
Flight origin	Moffet Field, California
Destination	Moffet Field, California
Occupants	11
Passengers	8
Crew	3
Fatalities	11
Survivors	0
Second aircraft
A US Navy P-3C Orion, similar to the accident aircraft
Type	Lockheed P-3C Orion
Operator	United States Navy
Registration	157332
Flight origin	Moffet Field, California
Destination	Moffet Field, California
Occupants	6
Crew	6
Fatalities	5
Survivors	1

On April 12, 1973, a NASA Convair CV-990 and a US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion collided on approach to Moffet Field, California. The two aircraft crashed on a golf course, killing all 11 on the CV-990 and 5 of the 6 on board the Orion.

Aircraft

One of the aircraft involved was 157332, a Lockheed P-3C Orion operated by the US Navy built in 1970. It was assigned to Patrol Squadron 47. ^{[1] [2]}

The other was N711NA, a Convair CV-990-30A-5 Coronado operated by NASA. The aircraft was built in 1961 and was modified into a flying observatory. The modifications included optically refined windows in the upper fuselage. The aircraft was nicknamed "Galileo". ^{[1] [3]}

Accident

The Orion departed for a training flight five and a half hourse prior to the accident. The plane was flying over the ocean off Big Sur and then returned to Moffet Field to perform touch-and-go landings on runway 32L, which it continued to do for the next hour and a half. The CV-990 was returning from a two-hour flight over Monterey Bay where it was testing a system for surveying sea mammals. ^{[1] [4]}

The weather at the airport was good, with great visibility. At 14:46 local time, the CV-990 was cleared for approach to runway 32R. Three minutes later, the CV-990 was cleared to approach runway 32L, the runway the Orion was performing touch-and-go landings on. The pilot of the CV-990 replied "32L, thank you", and the pilot of the P-3 stated "...touch-and-go left side." ^{[1] [4]} The CV-990 was descending directly above the P-3, when, according to eyewitnesses, the P-3 initiated a climb. The CV-990 struck the P-3's upper aft fuselage at an altitude of 300 feet and the aircraft crashed entangled on the Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course a kilometer short of the runway. All 11 on board the CV-990 and 5 of the 6 on board the P-3 died in the crash and ensuing fire. ^{[1] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

Cause

The collision was a result of mistakes on part of the approach controller. The controller cleared the CV-990 for approach to a runway that the P-3 was already approaching. The crew of the CV-990 didn't question this runway change. ^{[1] [4] [7]}

References

1. "VPNAVY - United States Navy Patrol Squadrons VP-47 Memorial Page". www.vpnavy.com. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
2. Ranter, Harro. "Accident Lockheed P-3C Orion 157332, Thursday 12 April 1973". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
3. Ranter, Harro. "Accident Convair CV-990-30A-5 Coronado N711NA, Thursday 12 April 1973". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
4. "Collision on final approach" (PDF). Ian E. Abbott. 2017. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
5. "Midair Collision Near Coast Base Kills 16". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
6. "16 Killed As Planes Crash At Sunnyvale". www.cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
7. "Crash of a Convair CV-990-30A-5 at Moffett AFB: 11 killed". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
8. "Crash of a Lockheed P-3C-125-LO Orion at Moffett AFB: 5 killed". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 2026-01-14.