On August 31, 1986, a tragic midair collision occurred over Cerritos, California, involving a Piper PA-28-181 and an DC-9-32. The Piper entered the Los Angeles Terminal Control Area (TCA) without authorization and collided with the descending Aeromexico flight, killing all 67 people on both aircraft and 15 people on the ground. The subsequent investigation highlighted the limitations of the "see and avoid" concept in preventing midair collisions.
As a result, significant changes were made, including the expedited development and implementation of the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and a redesign of the national airspace system to better separate VFR and IFR aircraft. These measures have drastically reduced the incidence of midair collisions involving commercial aircraft. William Kramer was a 53-year-old from Redondo Beach, California.
On Labor Day weekend in 1986, the private pilot had arranged a family trip for his wife and their 26-year-old daughter. The family was to fly Kramer’s Piper PA-28 Archer to Big Bear Lake, a popular vacation spot in the San Bernadino Mountains east of Los Angeles. On the morning of August 31, Kramer prepared his aircraft for the journey.
The weather was nice—a perfect day for the family to visit the cooler temperatures in the nearby mountains. All three major airports in the immediate area reported clear skies, and visibility was 14 miles, per . Kramer’s single-engine, four-seater Archer was kept at Zamperini Field (TOA) in Torra.
