Research shows that it was only 20 years ago: "On Jan. 15, 1987, a Mooney M20 pilot was practicing holding patterns near the extended approach path into Salt Lake International Airport and inadvertently entered SLC's airport radar service area. Approach Control wasn't receiving an altitude read-out from the Mooney's transponder and unfortunately the practice holding pattern roughly coincided with the traffic pattern for Salt Lake City Municipal No. 2 Airport, a general aviation facility located roughly six miles to the south of SLC, thus adding further confusion as to the exact location of the Mooney. At the same time a SkyWest SA-227 Metroliner was being vectored to the final approach course for SLC, its pilots attempting to locate traffic pointed out by ATC. Despite the good weather, the Metro pilots never spotted the Mooney because the two aircraft collided over Kearns, Utah, raining aircraft parts on the residential neighborhood and killing the 10 people aboard the two aircraft but somehow avoiding any loss of life or injury to people on the ground." (Aviation Week) On 8/5/07, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
Many years ago, there was a mid-air over Kearns between either a 2-or-4 seater (for some reason I'm remembering that it was a Mooney) and a commuter turbo-prop.
On 8/5/07, Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> wrote:
On 05 Aug 2007, at 13:06, Chuck Hards wrote:
As I pilot who knows of a number close calls that have happened in the mostly wide open skies over SLC, anytime I think of the traffic on the I-15 corridor each evening raised high into the sky (and most "pilots" yacking on their cell phones), well I just can't see it happening with current technology.