All 12 people aboard the smaller plane were killed, along with an eventual total of 23 of the 89 occupants of the 737, with most deaths on the 737 caused by asphyxiation in the fire.

USAir Flight 1493 was a scheduled service from Syracuse, New York, making stops at Washington, DC, Columbus, Ohio, and LAX, before continuing to San Francisco.

[7] The clearance delivery controller in charge of taxiing aircraft was Francita Vandiver, who had previously served as an ATC in the US Navy.

[3]: 5 [d] Immediately prior to SkyWest 5569 reaching runway 24L, a Wings West aircraft had landed on 24R and was awaiting permission to cross 24L and taxi to the terminal.

[8] After four attempts by the local controller, the Wings West aircraft finally responded to the tower and apologized for switching frequencies.

Wascher then cleared the USAir flight to land on 24L, even though the SkyWest Metroliner was still holding in takeoff position on the runway: With this activity ongoing, another Wings West aircraft, a Metroliner similar to SkyWest 5569, called the tower reporting they were ready for takeoff.

The accident was witnessed from a plane carrying the Vancouver Canucks, who were arriving for a National Hockey League game against the Los Angeles Kings.

[a] Captain Shaw was killed when the nose of the aircraft struck the abandoned fire station, crushing the section of the cockpit[12] where his seat was located.

The rear passenger (L2) door was briefly opened during the course of the accident, but was quickly closed due to the spreading fire on that side of the aircraft.

"[15] The captain was one of the few people who died of blunt force trauma, a blow to the head when the bulkhead collapsed as the aircraft collided with the firehouse.

[7] First Officer David Kelly, who was flying the USAir 1493 during the accident leg, reported that he did not see SkyWest 5569 until he lowered the nose of his aircraft onto the runway after landing.

[3]: 7 [16][better source needed] Local controller Wascher, who cleared both aircraft to use the same runway, testified before the NTSB and accepted blame for causing the crash.

[17][18] The NTSB's investigation of the crash revealed that the cockpit crew of the landing USAir jet could not see the commuter plane, which blended in with other airport lights.

Additionally, a new control tower was built at LAX, in a more central location, significantly taller and with a better vantage point, allowing visibility of all runways and critical taxiways at the airport.

She declined an offer to return to air traffic control and took a desk job at the FAA's western regional office.

[citation needed] The story of the disaster was featured in a ninth-season episode of the Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic series Mayday.

[23] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Transportation Safety Board.