Lear Lands On Closed Runway; Cessna, Falcon Come Too Close For Comfort

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating two runway incursions that occurred at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport within two weeks of each other.

ANN reported on one of those incidents last week. On June 25, 2008, at 0534 EDT, a Learjet 45 operated as Windrider flight 988 landed on a closed runway.

Runway 1/19 had been closed by airport operations at 0505. A lighted X, indicating that the runway was closed, was placed at the departure end of the runway. Additionally, the controller placed two runway incursion devices, which are memory aides to remind the tower controller of the closure, at the local control position. However, the controller did not notify the approach control facility, New York Terminal Radar Approach Control, of the runway closure.

Twenty-seven minutes after the closing of the runway, the approach controller called the tower controller to request a visual approach to runway 19 for flight 988. The tower controller approved the request. The airplane flew over two employees who were working north of the displaced threshold of runway 19 and landed on the runway. ATIS information Hotel, in effect at the time of the incident, did not include the closed runway.

The second incident occurred July 9 at 1010 EDT involving a Cessna 172 (N316AS) and a Dassault Falcon 200 (N277QS). The Cessna landed on runway 19 and requested a back taxi to the approach end of runway 19 for departure. The ground controller instructed the pilot to taxi to runway 19 via taxiway L and to hold short of runway 19.

However, the pilot was not instructed to hold short of runway 24, which intersected runway 19. The airplane had crossed the hold line for runway 24 but not over the runway edge when the tower controller cleared the Falcon for takeoff on runway 24. The tower cancelled the Falcon's clearance once it was determined that the Cessna was across the runway hold line.

The FAA reports the two airplanes were 1,200 feet apart. The incident occurred during the day shift with a front line manager and two air traffic control specialists on position.

NTSB Air Traffic Control Investigator Daniel Bartlett has been designated Investigator-in-charge for both incidents. Both preliminary reports are on the Board's web site.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov