World Series Flyover F-18 ‘Conflicted’ With A Cessna

Four military aircraft, apparently returning from a flyover of Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium for Game One of the Major League Baseball World Series, had a close call with a civilian aircraft. After an overhead break at Long Beach Airport (KLGB) in California, one of three U.S. Navy F/A-18s based at Naval Air Station Lemoore (accompanied by a USAF F-16) came dangerously close to a Cessna 152 taking off from an intersecting runway.

Responding to a request from AVweb, the FAA said in a statement: “While conducting an overhead approach to Runway 30 at Long Beach Airport in California, [the four military aircraft] conflicted with a Cessna 152 that was departing from Runway 26 Right. Air traffic control issued corrective instructions and traffic advisories to the aircraft. Required separation was maintained.”

A number of readers who witnessed the incident notified AVweb that it appeared the Cessna executed an extreme evasive maneuver and came close to stalling. Some witnesses speculated that the airplane descended from 700 feet to 400 feet above ground level.

The Long Beach Airport Facebook page alerted pilots ahead of time that there would be military aircraft operating from the airport over the weekend: “Heads up! Three F/A-18 aircraft and one F-16 will conduct operations at LGB between Friday (10/25) and Sunday (10/27). Times are tentative and subject to change.”