How the FAA, airlines have worked to end midair crashes

Question: How have midair collisions changed aviation?

Answer: The first collision between airliners occurred in 1922 in France. The loss of both airplanes and all occupants proved the need for better airtraffic control. Following the accident investigation, recommendations for airways (highways in the sky) and onboard radios were made. Air-traffic control was born.

In the 1930s, ’ 40s and early ’50s, there were 13 accidents involving collision of airliners. Improvements were being made, but the collision of TWA Flight 2 and United Flight 718 above the Grand Canyon on June 30, 1956, causing 128 fatalities, was the catalyst for change in aviation. For the first time, more than 100 people had perished in an aviation accident.

Investigators found that the TWA pilots were flying visually after receiving clearance from the air-traffic controller. They were maneuvering around clouds and did not see the United flight. Both flights were off the airway on which they were told to fly. An outcry arose. As a result, in 1958 the Federal Aviation Administration was formed and made responsible for all airspace in the United States.

By the late 1970s, a new system known as the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) was maturing and ready for testing. With TCAS, if there is a potential collision developing, the system alerts the pilots and provides climb and descend instructions.

The FAA mandated TCAS for all airliners with more than 30 seats in 1993. Since TCAS become standard equipment in airliners, the risk of midair collision has dropped dramatically, to near zero.