Mayday

Season 4, Episode 7

Episode Title: Out Of Sight (1986 Cerritos mid-air collision)

Air Date: 2007-05-27

Overview:

On 31 August 1986, Aeroméxico Flight 498, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, and a light aircraft collide over Cerritos, California, causing both to go out of control and crash, killing 82 people. The accident was caused by neither pilot making visual contact with the other aircraft and a lack of automated collision warning systems. The crash inspires the creation of the traffic collision avoidance system.