Moffett - Moffett

On April 12, 1973 at 02:50 PM, Moffett - Moffett experienced a crash involving Lockheed P-3 Orion, operated by United States Navy - USN, with the event recorded near Moffett AFB California.

The flight was categorized as training and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

6 people were known to be on board, 5 fatalities were recorded, 1 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 83.3%.

Crew on board: 6, crew fatalities: 5, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The aircraft was engaged in a local training flight with a crew of six on board. At a same time was approaching to Moffett AFB a NASA Convair CV-990-30A-5 registered N711NA that was returning to Moffett following a test flight over the Monterey Bay with eight scientists and a crew of three on board. Following an uneventful mission, the crew of the Convair started the approach and was cleared to land on runway 32R while seven miles out. After been cleared, the Orion's crew informed ATC he was joining the runway 32L approach path when the controller cleared the crew of the Convair to land at runway 32L. Shortly later, at an altitude of about 300 feet, the nose gear of the Convair struck the top of the Orion's tail. Both airplanes went out of control and crashed in flames on the Sunnyvale golf course located about 0,3 mile short of runway threshold. A crew member from the Orion was seriously injured while all 16 other occupants on both aircraft were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration 157332, MSN 185-5547, year of manufacture 1970.