{"id":88294,"date":"2025-03-30T01:06:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T19:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=88294"},"modified":"2025-03-30T20:57:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T15:27:19","slug":"united-airlines-mid-air-collision-alarm-injures-passengers-at-sfo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/30\/united-airlines-mid-air-collision-alarm-injures-passengers-at-sfo\/","title":{"rendered":"United Airlines Pilots Sudden Pitch Up of 757 Injures Passengers at San Francisco: NTSB"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CHICAGO-<\/strong> A mid-air collision alarm on United Airlines (UA)<\/a> Flight UA2428 from Newark (EWR)<\/a> to San Francisco (SFO) injured passengers and crew when pilots sharply pitched the plane up to avoid another aircraft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident, occurring on September 19, 2024, near San Francisco International Airport (SFO)<\/a>, left one passenger with a broken back and another with a fractured ankle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emergency maneuver by United Airlines (UA) pilots, prompted by the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), also caused minor injuries to two flight attendants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)<\/a> recently released its final report, detailing the event on the Boeing 757 during its descent into San Francisco (SFO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"United
Photo: By Colin Brown Photography from St Louis, MO, USA – N558UA – Boeing 757-222 – United Airlines, CC BY 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=84957386<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

United Mid-Air Collision Alarm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On September 19, 2024, United Airlines Flight UA2428, a Boeing 757, was nearing the end of a routine 5.5-hour flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The onboard TCAS triggered a critical alert as the aircraft descended toward Flight Level 310 under Air Traffic Control clearance. The system detected another aircraft 1,500 feet below, prompting an immediate resolution advisory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The First Officer disengaged the autopilot and executed a steep climb, following TCAS instructions to avoid a potential collision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While effective in averting disaster, the sudden maneuver caught some passengers and crew off guard. Two passengers in the rear lavatories bore the brunt of the force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One was thrown against the ceiling, fracturing their second lumbar vertebra, while the other, exiting the lavatory, hit the ceiling and fractured an ankle upon landing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the forward galley, two flight attendants preparing for arrival were knocked down, sustaining minor injuries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NTSB report attributes the injuries to the \u201cabrupt pitch control input\u201d by the flight crew responding to the TCAS advisory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Photo: By Bill Abbott – p_p_United_Pair_1_ADSC_0003, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=51910246<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

TCAS and Mid-Air Collision Prevention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)<\/a> is a vital safety tool mandated for all US commercial aircraft with over 30 seats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operating independently of ground systems, TCAS II\u2014the version on Flight UA2428\u2014provides two levels of alerts: traffic advisories, which warn of nearby aircraft, and resolution advisories, which issue specific climb or descent instructions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, the system escalated from a traffic alert to a resolution advisory within seconds, directing the pilots to pitch the aircraft upward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TCAS, also known internationally as the Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS), is a critical onboard safety system that operates independently of ground-based air traffic control. It provides two types of alerts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n