Then this specific type of incident would likely not have happened.
The pilot here was flying visually (which I expect either means a visual approach, or else the LDA PRM Runway 28 Right approach).
If the airport was fogged out, the pilot would be on an ILS or RNAV (area navigation) approach. The former uses ground-based signals to provide precise lateral and vertical navigation; the latter uses either GPS or multiple ground-based aids to accomplish the same thing.
The downside to ILS, RNAV, etc., is that you can't fit planes as close together while still being safe. That's why you get delays when major airports have reduced visibility: The flight scheduled are "tuned" for maximum planes per runway per minute, which is only possible when skies are clear and winds are (relatively) calm, so that you can use visual approaches.
The pilot here was flying visually (which I expect either means a visual approach, or else the LDA PRM Runway 28 Right approach).
If the airport was fogged out, the pilot would be on an ILS or RNAV (area navigation) approach. The former uses ground-based signals to provide precise lateral and vertical navigation; the latter uses either GPS or multiple ground-based aids to accomplish the same thing.
The downside to ILS, RNAV, etc., is that you can't fit planes as close together while still being safe. That's why you get delays when major airports have reduced visibility: The flight scheduled are "tuned" for maximum planes per runway per minute, which is only possible when skies are clear and winds are (relatively) calm, so that you can use visual approaches.