- Date
- September 28, 2007, 13:12 local (17:12 UTC)
- Place
- Teterboro, NJ
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N90THDassault Mystere Falcon 900
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070928830699A
- Case key
- 66777
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The steamroller driver's improper decision to operate the vehicle without a wing walker present.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The captain stated that while taxiing southbound on taxiway "Z," the flight crew felt a sudden "big thud/ jolt." After an inspection of the outside of the airplane, the captain observed damage to the left main wingtip due to a possible collision with a construction steamroller. The steamroller driver stated that after lunch he returned to the construction site and began to operate the steamroller without a wing walker being present. He said that he did not see or hear the airplane as it approached.
Factual narrative
On September 28, 2007, at 1312 eastern daylight time, a Dassault Aviation Mystere Falcon 900, N90TH, collided with a steamroller while taxiing at Teterboro Airport, Teterboro, New Jersey. The airplane was substantially damaged. The two certificated airline transport pilots and five passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the corporate flight. The airplane was registered to and operated by Sony Aviation Incorporated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The captain stated that while taxiing southbound on taxiway "Z," the flight crew felt a sudden "big thud/ jolt," and the airplane was brought to a full stop. He said that after checking the passengers, and the status of the airplane, he opened the main entry door and observed that there was damage to the left main wingtip due to a possible collision with a construction steamroller.
The steamroller driver stated that he, the wing walker, and other construction crewmembers stopped work to go to lunch. He said after returning from lunch he began to operate the steamroller without having a wing walker present. Shortly thereafter, the airplane struck the upper roller cage and he stopped the steamroller. The steamroller driver further stated that prior to the impact, he did not hear or see the airplane as it approached.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left wingtip and aileron were separated from the wing assembly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90TH
- Reported as
- Dassault Mystere Falcon 900
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 180
- Airframe hours
- 3,840
- Engines
- Allied Signal TFE731-5BR-1C, 4,750 lbs thrust, turbo fanAllied Signal TFE731-5BR-1C, 4,750 lbs thrust, turbo fanAllied Signal TFE731-5BR-1C, 4,750 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sony Aviation Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 1, 2007 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- TEB · Teterboro, NJ
- Destination
- SAN · San Diego, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- TEB · Teterboro
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,350 total · 3,980 in this make and model · 6,040 as pilot in command · 107 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 15,761 total · 3,321 in this make and model · 13,795 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- KTEB, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.