Hughes Airwest Flight 706

Hughes Airwest Flight 706
NTSB · Public domain · source
Name	Hughes Airwest Flight 706
Date	June 6, 1971
Type	Mid-air collision
Occurrence type	Accident
Site	Near Duarte, California, United States
Aircraft type	McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31
Operator	Hughes Airwest
Tail number	N9101
Origin	Los Angeles International Airport
Stopover	Oakland International Airport
Destination	Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
Passengers	41
Fatalities	48

Hughes Airwest Flight 706 was a scheduled domestic passenger service that collided mid-air on June 6, 1971, with a United States Air Force fighter aircraft near Duarte, California. The accident involved a commercial McDonnell Douglas DC-9 operating for Hughes Airwest and an F-4 Phantom II of the United States Air Force, resulting in the deaths of all aboard the airliner and one pilot of the fighter. The crash generated significant scrutiny from the National Transportation Safety Board, affected air traffic procedures overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration, and shaped later air traffic control and military-civilian coordination policies.

Flight and Aircraft

Flight 706 departed from Los Angeles International Airport en route to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport with a scheduled stop at Oakland International Airport. The airliner was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31, registration N9101, operated by Hughes Airwest, a carrier formed through the consolidation of Air West and divisions associated with Howard Hughes interests. The flight crew included an experienced captain and first officer employed under Hughes Airwest protocols, operating in controlled airspace managed by the Federal Aviation Administration facility at Los Angeles Center. Concurrently, a pair of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II aircraft assigned to George Air Force Base were conducting training operations under the command of units from the United States Air Force Tactical Air Command and coordinated with the Air Defense Command structure for routine intercept and training missions. Air traffic services involved controllers from Federal Aviation Administration sectors who communicated with both civil and military aircraft in a region frequently used for joint operations near the San Gabriel Mountains and Los Angeles Basin.

Collision and Crash

At approximately mid-afternoon, the DC-9 and one of the F-4s collided over the vicinity of Duarte, California, near the San Gabriel Valley. Witnesses in communities such as Azusa, California and Monrovia, California observed debris and a flaming trail consistent with a high-speed mid-air impact. The F-4, assigned serial number and crew under United States Air Force markings, experienced catastrophic damage; one pilot ejected and survived, while the second pilot perished. The DC-9 sustained unsurvivable structural failure, leading to immediate descent and impact in a sparsely populated area near Interstate 210, with debris strewn across residential and commercial zones. Emergency response units from agencies including the Los Angeles County Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, and local municipal services from Pasadena, California and San Bernardino County responded to the scene amid coordination with FBI investigators and Civil Aeronautics Board legacy investigative elements transitioning to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board launched a formal investigation into the collision, reconstructing wreckage and analyzing radar data provided by Los Angeles Center and military radars from March Air Force Base and Edwards Air Force Base. The NTSB evaluated cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder information recovered from the DC-9, coordinated interviews with surviving military aircrew and air traffic controllers, and reviewed procedures promulgated by the Federal Aviation Administration and North American Aerospace Defense Command. Factors examined included visual flight rules operations in congested terminal airspace, the operations of military intercepts near civilian airways, transponder and collision-avoidance limitations of the period, and radar separation standards established under Federal Aviation Regulations. The investigation referenced precedents such as inquiries into earlier mid-air collisions that influenced policy at the Department of Transportation and within the Armed Forces.

Victims and Casualties

All 48 persons aboard the DC-9—41 passengers and 6 crew members—were killed on impact. The deceased included travelers connecting at Oakland International Airport and residents from multiple states en route to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. One of the two F-4 crewmembers survived after ejection; the other was killed. Families of victims sought information and support through entities including Hughes Airwest corporate representatives, National Transportation Safety Board victim assistance, and legal counsel citing aviation liability precedents handled in federal courts such as those in Los Angeles County Superior Court and United States District Court for the Central District of California. Community memorials in Duarte, California and nearby municipalities commemorated the loss, with local officials from cities like Azusa, California participating in remembrance events.

Aftermath and Safety Changes

The crash prompted policy review and operational changes involving the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the United States Air Force. Recommendations emerging from the investigation led to tighter procedures for military flights transiting civil airways, improved coordination between FAA centers and military controllers, revised use protocols for transponders and identification friend or foe systems, and accelerated development of airborne collision avoidance systems later embodied in programs influenced by research at institutions like NASA and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The accident influenced training doctrine within the United States Air Force Tactical Air Command and contributed to interagency agreements codified between Department of Defense elements and the Federal Aviation Administration to minimize future risks of military-civilian airspace conflicts. Commemorative actions included local memorials and policy legacies observed in subsequent legislative reviews by the United States Congress related to aviation safety and airspace management.

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States Category:1971 in California Category:Mid-air collisions