40.9148° N, 74.1628° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Paterson, NJ, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
November 2, 1986 · 16:15 local
Place
Paterson, NJ
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
USAA
Aircraft
N972WJ
Reported as
Doug DC9
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
17,500 total11,000 in this make and model180 in the last 90 days
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot acknowledged a heading change meant for another aircraft. Traffic separation was less than standard.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED A HEADING CHANGE MEANT FOR ANOTHER AIRCRAFT. TRAFFIC SEPARATION WAS LESS THAN STANDARD.