Possible PD flying outside bravo towards bravo?

[Kritchlow]

1978 ... a 172N on an IFR flight plan in CAVU conditions, rear-ended by the 727 turning a right base on a visual approach for 27. Crew reported traffic in sight, but there was a question whether he was seeing a second aircraft in the area.

And as I recall, there is some pretty dramatic footage of the 727 prior to crash.

 

[Pilawt]

I corrected my post a bit, and added a link to the NTSB report. I’d thought the 172 was IFR, but technically it was VFR, doing practice instrument approaches “under the control of San Diego Approach Control” in VFR conditions.

The 172 was climbing, the 727 was in a descending turn.

Ugly all around. Some TCAs (now Class B areas) had been established at that time, but San Diego did not have one yet. A San Diego TCA was soon established in response to this accident. Of course, under the facts of this accident, a TCA/Class B would not have made any difference.