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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

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March 19, 1988 · Boeing 737 · N69348

Morristown, NJ

Overview

Report Status
Preliminary report
Event Type
Incident
Date
March 19, 1988
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (123 uninjured)
Location
Morristown, NJ
Aircraft
Boeing 737
Tail Number
N69348
Operator
Continental Airlines
Injuries
None
NTSB Number
NYC88IA109

BOEING 737 (N69348) WAS DEPG NEWARK INTL ARPT AS A LEAR JET 24 (N500NH) WAS DEPG FM TETERBORO. BOTH WERE BEING CTLD BY NEW YORK TRACON (NEWARK SECTOR). THE STRIP FOR THE 737 WAS MISMARKED AS A NORTH DEPARTURE RATHER THAN AN EAST DEPARTURE.THE INSTRUCTOR/FULL PERFORMANCE LEVEL CONTROLLER (FPL CTLR) SAT AT THE RADAR SCOPE IN A PSN WHERE HE COULD NOT VERIFY THE MARKINGS ON STRIPS WHICH WERE BEING USED BY THE DEVELOPMENTAL CTLR. WHEN AN AUTOMATED HANDOFF WAS INITIATED TO THE WRONG SECTOR, BOTH NEWARK CTLRS DISCOVERED THE ERROR. THE DEVELOPMENTAL CTLR STARTED TO TAKE ACTION TO MAINT SEPARATION BETWEEN THE 737 & THE LEAR JET. HOWEVER, THE FPL CTLR TOOK CONTROL & THE REQUIRED IFR SEPARATION WAS SUBSEQUENTLY LOST. BOTH ACFT WERE OPERATING ON IFR FLT PLANS IN VFR CONDITIONS. NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BY EITHER FLT CREW.

Full Narrative

BOEING 737 (N69348) WAS DEPG NEWARK INTL ARPT AS A LEAR JET 24 (N500NH) WAS DEPG FM TETERBORO. BOTH WERE BEING CTLD BY NEW YORK TRACON (NEWARK SECTOR). THE STRIP FOR THE 737 WAS MISMARKED AS A NORTH DEPARTURE RATHER THAN AN EAST DEPARTURE.THE INSTRUCTOR/FULL PERFORMANCE LEVEL CONTROLLER (FPL CTLR) SAT AT THE RADAR SCOPE IN A PSN WHERE HE COULD NOT VERIFY THE MARKINGS ON STRIPS WHICH WERE BEING USED BY THE DEVELOPMENTAL CTLR. WHEN AN AUTOMATED HANDOFF WAS INITIATED TO THE WRONG SECTOR, BOTH NEWARK CTLRS DISCOVERED THE ERROR. THE DEVELOPMENTAL CTLR STARTED TO TAKE ACTION TO MAINT SEPARATION BETWEEN THE 737 & THE LEAR JET. HOWEVER, THE FPL CTLR TOOK CONTROL & THE REQUIRED IFR SEPARATION WAS SUBSEQUENTLY LOST. BOTH ACFT WERE OPERATING ON IFR FLT PLANS IN VFR CONDITIONS. NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BY EITHER FLT CREW.

Flight

Event TypeIncident
Event Time19:39 EST
Nearest Airport0nm N
Runway0
Runway Length0
Runway Width0
Flight Plan FiledIFR
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftBoeing 737
Tail NumberN69348
Aircraft CategoryAir
OperatorContinental Airlines
Operating RulePart 121
Engines2
Engine TypeTurbofan
Engine DetailsGe · CFM56-3-B1 · Turbofan · 14500 | Ge · CJ-610-6 · Turbojet · 2850
Seats149

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (123 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured123
Total123
Crew 1Age 44 · Unknown
Crew 2Age 40 · First Class

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDark Night
WindCalm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point0 C / 0 C
Altimeter0
Weather SourcePILO

Appendix: Source Data