| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 10, 1985 (1985-11-10) |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | Teterboro, New Jersey 40°48′58″N 73°59′54″W / 40.81611°N 73.99833°W / 40.81611; -73.99833 |
| Total fatalities | 6 |
| Total injuries | 8 (on the ground) |
| Total survivors | 0 (on planes) |
| First aircraft | |
 a Dassault Falcon 50 similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Type | Dassault Falcon 50 |
| Operator | Nabisco Brands Inc. |
| Registration | N784B |
| Flight origin | Morristown Municipal Airport, Morris County, New Jersey |
| Destination | Teterboro Airport, Teterboro, New Jersey |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
 a Piper PA-28 similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Type | Piper PA-28-181 Archer |
| Operator | Air Pegasus |
| Registration | N1977H |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 1 |
| Ground injuries | 8 |
On November 10, 1985, a Dassault Falcon 50 executive jet belonging to Nabisco Brands Inc. and a Piper Cherokee collided over Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Six people died in the accident: all five aboard both aircraft and one person on the ground; another eight were injured.
Accident
At approximately 5:22 p.m., the Dassault Falcon 50 and the Piper Cherokee collided as the jet approached for landing at Teterboro Airport and the Piper was flying over the airport on a west to east course. The Dassault was cleared for a standard instrument approach in visual meteorological conditions and made a left turn to position itself on the downwind leg to runway 19. The collision occurred at approximately 1,500 feet. The two aircraft fell into the residential areas of Fairview and Cliffside Park, New Jersey and the subsequent impact of the aircraft into neighborhood buildings caused fires and panic.
Events following the Crash
During a news conference shortly after the accident, an official described the turn as an unusual course and speculated that the jet's pilot had previously reported a visual sighting of the Piper to the Teterboro tower just prior to the collision.
On the night of the collision three bodies - the pilot of the Piper, Marlon J. Moss (26), and the bodies of Henry Nocha Sr. and his wife, Lucia - were recovered from aboard the Cherokee and taken to Bergen County Morgue. Three further bodies were recovered amongst rubble during the day of the 11th, those of the pilots of the jet, Gregory L. Miller (37) and Alan K. Stitt (31), and the ground fatality Abdul Taha (34).
It was confirmed that two buildings had been leveled by the jet and subsequent outbreaks of fire had destroyed four more buildings before they could be put under control.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded the accident was caused by a breakdown in coordination among FAA air traffic controllers and the inability of the crew of the jet to see and avoid the other aircraft, because of misleading information from air traffic control and oncoming darkness. The NTSB recommended that the FAA improve communication procedures among controllers and provide training for its personnel at Teterboro to qualify the airport for an upgrade to a radar approach control system.
See also
References
- "At Least 5 Killed As 2 Planes Collide Over Jersey". The New York Times. November 11, 1985.
- Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Dassault Falcon 50 N784B Teterboro Airport, NJ (TEB)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (12 November 1985). "ROUTE OF JET IN CRASH OVER JERSEY THAT KILLED 6 IS CALLED 'UNUSUAL'". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ "Midair Collision of Nabisco Brands, Inc., Dassault Falcon, DA50, N784B and Air Pegasus Corp., Piper Archer, N1977H, Fairview, New Jersey, November 10, 1985" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 1987-05-04. NTSB/AAR-87/05. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
- Witkin, Richard (March 18, 1987). "'85 Plane Crash Laid to Failure by Controllers". The New York Times.
- "Safety Recommendation A-87-050". National Transportation Safety Board.
- "Safety Recommendation" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. May 22, 1987. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- Goldman, John J. (1985-11-11). "Planes Collide in N.J.; 4 Killed, 8 Injured". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
| Dassault Falcon family | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Names |
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| Military | |||||
| Accidents and incidents | |||||
| Aviation accidents and incidents in 1985 (1985) | |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 Eastern Air Lines Flight 980Jan 18 CAAC Flight 5109Jan 21 Galaxy Airlines Flight 203Feb 1 Aeroflot Flight 7841Feb 19 China Airlines Flight 006Feb 19 Iberia Flight 610Feb 24 Polar 3May 3 Zolochiv mid-air collisionJun 14 Trans World Airlines Flight 847Jun 21 Braathens SAFE Flight 139Jun 23 Air India Flight 182Jul 10 Aeroflot Flight 5143Aug 2 Delta Air Lines Flight 191Aug 12 Japan Air Lines Flight 123Aug 22 Manchester Airport disasterAug 25 Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808Sep 4 Bakhtar Antonov An-26 shootdownSep 6 Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105Sep 23 Henson Airlines Flight 1517Nov 10 Teterboro mid-air collisionNov 23 EgyptAir Flight 648Nov 25 Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crashDec 12 Arrow Air Flight 1285RDec 19 Aeroflot Flight 101/435Dec 31 Ricky Nelson plane crash | |
| 1984 ◄ ► 1986 |