First, we got the audio along with a diagram showing what happened.

Now, we have pictures.

Almost the ‘greatest aviation disaster in history’, it was early July when an Air Canada pilot diverted his plane, nearly killing an estimated 1 000 people.

Read all about it here.

The newly released data and photos show just how “shockingly low the jet was when it pulled up to avoid crashing into planes waiting on a San Francisco International Airport taxiway last month,” reports The Telegraph:

The investigators said that as the Air Canada jet approached the taxiway just before midnight after a flight from Toronto, it was so far off course that it did not appear on a radar system used to prevent runway collisions.

Those systems were not designed to spot planes that are lined up to land on a taxiway – a rare occurrence, especially for airline pilots. But the Federal Aviation Administration is working on modifications so they can, agency spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The Air Canada pilots mistook the taxiway for the runway next to it and flew their jet to just 59 feet (18 meters) above ground before pulling up to attempt another landing, according to National Transportation Safety Board information released on Wednesday.

That’s barely taller than the four planes that were on the taxiway when the incident occurred late at night on July 7.

Pilots in a United Airlines plane alerted air traffic controllers about the off-course jet, while the crew of a Philippine Airlines jet behind it switched on their plane’s landing lights in an apparent last-ditch danger signal to Air Canada.

Take a look:

Although no one other than the pilots knew what was going on at the time, I am happy as hell I wasn’t on the plane that nearly caused the greatest aviation disaster in history.

[source:telegraph]