Airbus A319-112 N306NV
29 April 2021 · St Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 29 April 2021 at about 19:07 local time, a Airbus A319-112 registered N306NV, operated by Allegiant Air, was involved in an incident near St Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, United States. 130 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:07
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- St Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- St Pete-Clearwater Intl (PIE)
- Coordinates
- 27.9022, -82.6869
- Aircraft
- Airbus A319-112
- Registration
- N306NV
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2005
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Allegiant Air
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Norfolk
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- OPS21LA002
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 130 |
Probable cause
The air traffic controller’s failure to properly scan the runway and local area, and their general loss of situational awareness, resulting in a near midair collision. Contributing to the incident was the Cessna 337 pilot's poor decision making when he failed to fly the standard downwind leg distance from the runway and to maintain the standard traffic pattern altitude.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Review of the radar data showed that N370SD, a Cessna 337, was on a right downwind for runway 22 at 300 feet when it overflew runway 18, and at the same time Allegiant Air flight 803 (AAY803), an Airbus A319, was at 200 feet departing runway 18. The closest proximity was 100 feet vertically and 369 feet laterally. The crew of AAY803 saw the Cessna 337 and took evasive action by stopping their takeoff climb and maintaining 200 feet, and flew underneath the Cessna 337, which was at 300 feet as the airplane’s paths intersected over the runways. The local controller did not visually scan all runways and airspace when he instructed the Cessna 337 pilot to enter a right downwind, and again, when he issued a takeoff clearance to the Allegiant Air flight; the lack of fully scanning all runways and airspace resulted in the local controller losing situational awareness of the Cessna 337, and ultimately not ensuring positive control and separation between the Allegiant Air flight and the Cessna 337. The Cessna 337 pilot’s downwind leg for runway 22 was significantly less than the standard 1/2 to 1 mile defined downwind leg distance from the runway, which placed the Cessna 337 in a closer vicinity to the runway intersections than what was expected. Additionally, the Cessna 337 pilot did not fly a standard traffic pattern altitude, and the local controller did not instruct or advise the pilot that the traffic pattern altitude was 1,000 feet. PIE airport did not have a charted traffic pattern altitude.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-112 | N306NV | Allegiant Air | - |
| Cessna M337B | N370SD | - | - |
Other Airbus A319 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 2021 | Airbus A319 | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | - | Unknown | - |
| 31 Dec 2020 | Airbus A319-115 | Bogata, Colombia | Aerovías del Continente Americano AVIANCA | Unknown | - |
| 15 Feb 2020 | Airbus A319 | Sacramento, California, United States | Spirit Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |
| 15 Feb 2022 | Airbus A319 | Mexico City, Mexico | - | Unknown | - |
| 3 Nov 2022 | Airbus A319 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | Spirit Airlines Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Dec 2022 | Airbus A319-115 | Barranquilla, Colombia | American Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Nov 2021 | Piper PA-12 | Labelle, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 May 2021 | Cessna 172RG | Miami, Florida, United States | Silver Express Co DBA | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2021 | Piper PA-28-140 | Orlando, Florida, United States | Airline Training Academy | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 2021 | Boeing 747-4B5F | Miami, Florida, United States | Kalitta Air LLC | No injuries | - |
| 7 Dec 2021 | Beechcraft S35 | Tallahassee, Florida, United States | James Hunt / AeroMed Transport Co | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2021 | Airbus A321-231 | Miami, Florida, United States | American Airlines Inc | Serious injuries | - |