San Francisco Intl — Safety History & Runway Risks
NTSB accident analysis for KSFO: 15 events analyzed
San Francisco, CA · 13.1 ft MSL · 4 runways
Based on 15 NTSB events at KSFO (San Francisco Intl), the most important risks for pilots are:
- Runway and taxiway confusion, especially at night. Three separate events involved aircraft misidentifying runways or taxiways: Air Canada 759 (2017) nearly landed on taxiway C lined with four aircraft, a runway incursion on 28L occurred in Dec 2016 when a CRJ-200 turned onto the wrong taxiway at night, and a second 28L runway incursion occurred in Feb 2017 when ATC issued conflicting clearances. All three occurred in low-light or night conditions at the 28L/28R/taxiway C complex.
- Visual approach glidepath and airspeed management on runway 28L. The Asiana 214 accident (July 2013, 3 fatal, 50 serious) resulted from the crew's mismanagement of descent, inadvertent deactivation of autothrottle, and failure to execute a timely go-around on a visual approach to 28L. The seawall short of 28L provides almost no margin for an aircraft that is low and slow.
- NOTAM awareness and parallel runway closure management. The Air Canada 759 incident (July 2017) was directly caused by the crew's failure to adequately review NOTAMs regarding a parallel runway closure, leading to confusion between runway 28R and taxiway C. At SFO, parallel runway configurations and frequent construction/closure NOTAMs create serious confusion potential if not thoroughly briefed.
Source: NTSB accident records analyzed by Tropiq. Updated 4/14/2026.
Safety History
15 eventsKSFO has recorded 15 NTSB events from 2008–2024, with no fatalities to flight crews and only one fatal accident (Asiana 214, 2013), but the airport carries elevated risk around ground operations, runway/taxiway confusion at night, and visual approach management. The overwhelming majority of events involved air carriers, not general aviation, but the hazards they reveal — complex ramp geometry, parallel runway/taxiway confusion, and nighttime operations — are directly relevant to any pilot. The safety record has improved markedly in recent years, with only one event since 2021 and none in the last 12 months.
The 2008–2019 period was substantially more active, with 14 of 15 events clustered in those years, including the only fatal accident (Asiana 214, 2013) and a cluster of runway incursions in 2016–2017. Ground operations collisions represent the most frequent single category across the full dataset.
- •Ground operations collisions (pushback, towing, belt loaders) account for at least 6 of 15 events and span the entire 2008–2019 period
- •Runway 28L is the most frequently cited runway, involved in the Asiana fatal crash, two runway incursions, and the Air Canada taxiway C incident
- •Night or dark conditions were present in the majority of events where lighting data was recorded
- •All events with weather data recorded VMC conditions, indicating that clear weather does not eliminate risk at this airport — procedural and human factors dominate
- •The only events with serious or fatal injuries involved in-flight hazards (turbulence en route, Asiana approach accident) rather than ground operations
Runway Analysis
Key Risks
Common Causes
Seasonal Patterns
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database. Analysis generated 2026-04-14. This data is provided for flight planning awareness and does not replace official safety briefings.
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