Cruelty of Chance: The Cerritos mid-air collision and the crash of Aerom??xico flight 498

On the 31st of August 1986, a quiet holiday weekend in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos was shattered by a distant bang, the roar of engines, and a mighty explosion. In the skies overhead, two planes had come together in the busy airspace near Los Angeles International Airport: a private Piper PA-28 Archer, blundering off course through restricted airspace, and an Aeroméxico DC-9, its unsuspecting target, loaded with travelers returning home. At 11:52 a.m. and 9 seconds, they collided, sending both planes into brief but terrifying plunges, their respective crews plummeting to their deaths without ever knowing what had hit them.

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Tags: Chance Cruelty