from the Flight global article linked earlier :
he A320 pilots overflew the taxiway by about 0.25nm before controllers ordered it to go around. They descended to minimum altitude above the taxiway of 59ft and passed within 29ft laterally of one aircraft and 100ft above two others, according to US and Canadian investigators.
At the time of the incident, San Francisco's runway 28L was closed and unlit.
Pilots of the Air Canada A320 told US investigators they thought the lighted runway was 28L and that taxiway C was runway 28R, the NTSB said.
If this is indeed correct , then 90% of the posts on this thread are obsolete.
Point 1 : The controller became aware as he/she ordered a go around.But late .
Point 2 : 100ft above an 30 ft lateral , looks like it would not have resulted in the " worst collision ever" even if they would have actually landed on the taxi way .
Point 3 : they were misled by the lighting configuration and thought they were lining up with a runway. Confirmation of what we thought from the beginning.
Why is obvious , and the FAA change in procedures will definitively help in ensuring the repetition of this case is unlikely.
What do you want more? Hang the 2 pilots in the Control tower balcony?