Investigation Summary
The accident involved two distinct missions operating in the same terminal area. The NASA CV-990, nicknamed 'Galileo', was returning from a two-hour research flight over Monterey Bay testing sea mammal surveying equipment. The Navy P-3C Orion, assigned to Patrol Squadron 47 (VP-47), was engaged in a training flight that had begun five and a half hours prior to the collision, involving operations over the ocean off Big Sur followed by ninety minutes of touch-and-go landings. Visibility was excellent at the time of the accident. The CV-990 was initially cleared for Runway 32R but was subsequently reassigned to Runway 32L by the approach controller. The NASA crew accepted the change without realizing the P-3 was already established on the approach for the same runway. As the faster CV-990 descended from above, the P-3 initiated a climb as part of its touch-and-go sequence. The two aircraft collided approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) short of the runway threshold. The P-3's tail section was severed, and the entangled wreckage fell onto a golf course where high school students were participating in a match.
Final Conclusions
The investigation determined the primary cause was an air traffic control error. The approach controller cleared the CV-990 for an approach to a runway already occupied by the P-3 Orion. A contributing factor was the failure of the CV-990 crew to question the sudden runway reassignment, which placed them on a collision course with the training aircraft.
Video Analysis
Moffett Field Air Tragedy - The Story of Sole Survivor, Bruce Mallibert — A detailed account of the 1973 collision between a Navy P-3C and NASA's Galileo observatory, featuring interviews with the sole survivor and witnesses.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
United States Navy 157332 — Lockheed P-3C Orion · 157332
Systems & Failure Modes
Air Traffic Control (ATC)
The approach controller failed to maintain separation by clearing two aircraft to the same runway simultaneously.
CV-990 Flying Observatory
The aircraft was equipped with specialized optically refined windows for sea mammal surveying and astronomical research.
Interesting Facts
- 01The NASA CV-990 was a modified flying observatory nicknamed 'Galileo'.
- 02The sole survivor was Navy Petty Officer Bruce Bartholomew, who was in the tail section of the P-3 and was thrown clear during the impact.
- 03The collision occurred in clear weather with high visibility.
- 04The P-3 had been performing touch-and-go landings for approximately 90 minutes prior to the collision.