Story ID: 
Sabreliner Involved in Midair Not TCAS Equipped
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: A witness stated that the Sabreliner twinjet and Cessna 172 piston single did not appear to take avoidance actions before colliding. 
Word Count: 166
The BAE Systems-operated Sabreliner 60 involved in the fatal midair collision with a Cessna 172 on August 16 near Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM) in San Diego did not have TCAS installed, nor was it required to, according to the NTSB.  A Safety Board spokesperson told AIN that the jet was “not required to be equipped with TCAS” because it was operating under FAR Part 91. “The NTSB was informed by BAE that there was no system on board,” he said.

While the NTSB preliminary report says the SDM control tower was “in contact with both accident airplanes prior to the collision,” the substance of that contact was not revealed. According to one witness, the Cessna was flying away from the airport, and the jet was approaching the airport and descending. That witness stated that neither airplane appeared to take evasive actions before colliding. The Cessna broke apart; the Sabreliner hit the ground and exploded, the report said. All five persons aboard both aircraft were killed.