Safety
Notams, Finally Getting Fixed?
Efforts seem to be accelerating to overhaul this critical safety information system
Near-collision at San Francisco International Airport
This image shows how close Air Canada Flight 759 came to aircraft waiting to take off after initiating a go-around during an attempt to land on Taxiway C at San Francisco International Airport on July 7, 2017. © NTSB

Note: AIN is using “notam” as a word per the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) definition and not the way the FAA uses notam as a contraction of “Notice to Airmen.” According to ICAO, a notam is “A notice distributed by means of telecommunication containing information concerning the establishment, condition, or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure, or hazard, the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations.”

On the night of July 7, 2017, the flight crew of Air Canada Flight 759, flying an Airbus A320, lined up with San Francisco International Airport’s Taxiway C instead of Runway 28R after being cleared to land. Four airliners were waiting on Taxiway C for takeoff, and the A320 kept descending toward them until it reached 100 feet agl and flew over the first airplane, then started a go-around. At its lowest point, the A320 reached 60 feet agl and was an estimated 10 to 20 feet above the second airplane in line (the distance between both airplanes) before climbing away.

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