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From: david@infopro.UUCP (David Fiedler)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Falcon-Piper Crash Over New Jersey
Message-ID: <775@infopro.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Nov-85 03:23:38 EST
Article-I.D.: infopro.775
Posted: Mon Nov 11 03:23:38 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Nov-85 04:21:48 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: InfoPro Systems
Lines: 62

This is being written only a few hours after the crash, and only after
hearing television reports plus being familiar with the area. Apparently a
Piper Cherokee hit a Dassault Falcon 50 bizjet nearly headon, both planes
caught fire, and landed in a residential area. The jet hit an apartment
house and completely demolished same, plus the kind of fires you would
expect with large quantities of jet fuel around. Everybody died, plus an
unknown number of people on the ground.

Early reports were that the smaller plane involved was a Cessna, 
possibly due to the "all small planes are Cessnas" disease that 
tragically affects so many in the general mass media.  We have heard 
that the Falcon had gotten clearance to land at Teterboro on Runway 19 
and that the Piper was also in contact with Teterboro tower for 
transiting their airspace, that each was warned of the other's 
presence, and that both were flying VFR.  The collision seems to have 
happened over the Hudson River (just 4.5 miles west of Runway 19), so 
the Falcon must have been making quite a wide pattern.  From other 
reports, the jet was owned by Nabisco Brands (based in East Hanover),
and had taken off from Morristown Municipal A/P, about 30 miles 
southwest of Teterboro.  The Piper had taken off from my home base, 
Caldwell A/P, and apparently was heading east, over Teterboro but 
under the New York TCA. No names have been released yet; it's quite
possible I know someone involved.

A local flight instructor was interviewed on Channel 2 news (CBS) about
the general safety of that airspace. He said that it was congested (true),
that part of the problem at Teterboro is fast jets mixing with slower
single-engine prop planes (probably true), and also Sunday pilots trying
to get home before it gets dark, since they aren't current for darkness
(possibly also true, but a lot of speculation here). At 5:05 PM local when
the accident occurred, it had just started getting fairly dark.
My feeling about this interview is that people involved in any 
activity that is easily misunderstood by the general public for 
technical reasons should be VERY careful when interviewed on 
television.  The distinct impression I would have gotten had I known 
nothing about flying was that "little" planes had no proper business 
in this airspace where "only jets belong" (quotes are not meant to 
imply exact words from interview).  You can bet that someone (read: 
headline-grabbing politician) will move to further restrict light 
planes in this area after this tragedy.  This will no doubt occur no 
matter who the FAA/NTSB finds at fault (it would have to be both 
pilots at a minimum since they were both VFR, right?). We have heard
both that the Falcon pilot acknowledged seeing the Piper, and vice-versa.

This bothers me mostly because I know, as a student pilot, that 
everyone in this area avoids the TCA like the plague.  It is perfectly 
possible to fly below the TCA (which starts at 3000' MSL), but in the 
particular area near Teterboro, the TCA floor is only 1800'.  Keeping 
well under this puts you too close to TPA at Teterboro (1000' light, 
1500' heavy) for comfort, especially when you mix in the large numbers 
of sightseeing aircraft going up and down the Hudson at around 1100'.  
My beef is that we are TAUGHT to avoid the TCA, as if it were totally 
restricted airspace, yet we casually go through TRSA's even as 
students on our second cross-countries.  It's true that they don't 
HAVE to let us in, but maybe if more of us felt like we were welcome, 
we would be able to transit a busy area under positive radar control 
at a slightly safer altitude.  Aside from traffic, there are a lot of 
tall antennas, bridges, and buildings in this area!  

Sorry for the occasional cynicism, but I get worried about our airspace
rights every time this kind of thing happens, and I'm also upset at people
getting killed. Yes, I *have* joined AOPA, the day I soloed.