# NTSB BFO85IA056: Boeing 747-200, New Orleans, LA, December 20, 1984 - Type: NTSB incident investigation - Classification: Incident · No injuries · Incident investigation · Final report - Date: December 20, 1984, 15:35 local (21:35 UTC) - Place: New Orleans, LA - Location: 29.9546° N, 90.0751° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of New Orleans, LA, within about 7 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.9546&lon=-90.0751&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 365 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Safety recommendations: Yes - NTSB case key (mKey): 11152 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=BFO85IA056 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/11152/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO85IA056 ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Near collision between aircraft, approach - iaf to faf/outer marker (ifr) - approach charts - inadequate (contributing factor) - insuff standards/requirements,airways/airspace, faa(organization) (contributing factor) - judgment - poor, pilot of other aircraft (cause) - visual lookout - inadequate, pilot of other aircraft (cause) - Near collision between aircraft, cruise - approach charts - inadequate (contributing factor) - insuff standards/requirements,airways/airspace, faa(organization) (contributing factor) - judgment - poor, pilot in command (cause) - visual lookout - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis (aircraft 2) DURING ARRIVAL, A BOEING 747, REGISTRATION NUMBER D-ABYP, LUFTHANSA FLIGHT 5432, WAS VECTORED FOR AN ILS LOCALIZER BACKCOURSE APCH TO RWY 19 AT THE NEW ORLEAN INTL ARPT. WHILE ON THE APCH AT 2000 FT MSL, THE AIRCREW WERE INSTRUCTED BY THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER TO CONTACT THE TOWER ON ANOTHER FREQUENCY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER OBSERVEDA VFR CODED TARGET APPEAR ON THE RADAR. HE ATTEMPTED TO ADVISE THE NOEING CREW BY USING AN OVERRIDE FEATURE, BUT AT THAT TIME, ANOTHER CONTROLLER WAS TRANSMITTING. THE BOEING CREW SAW THE ACFT COMING HEAD-ON & TOOK EVASIVE ACTION BY MAKING A STEEP TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE OTHER ACFT WAS A LIGHT SINGLE ENG PLANE THAT WAS FLYING AT 2000 FT MSL. THE LIGHT PLANE WAS NEVER IDENTIFIED & WAS NOT OBSERVED TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. A GROUP II TERMINAL CONTROL AREA (TCA) WAS IN PLACE AT NEW ORLEANS. THE NEAR COLLISION OCCURRED WHERE THE MIN ALT FOR THAT PART OF THE INSTR APCH WAS AT THE BOTTOMOF THE TCA. VFR FLT UP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TCA IN THAT AREA WAS LEGAL. THE NUMBER OF OCCUPANTS IN THE SE ACFT WAS UNKN. ## Analysis (aircraft 1) DURING ARRIVAL, A BOEING 747, REGISTRATION NUMBER D-ABYP, LUFTHANSA FLIGHT 5432, WAS VECTORED FOR AN ILS LOCALIZER BACKCOURSE APCH TO RWY 19 AT THE NEW ORLEAN INTL ARPT. WHILE ON THE APCH AT 2000 FT MSL, THE AIRCREW WERE INSTRUCTED BY THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER TO CONTACT THE TOWER ON ANOTHER FREQUENCY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER OBSERVEDA VFR CODED TARGET APPEAR ON THE RADAR. HE ATTEMPTED TO ADVISE THE BOEING CREW BY USING AN OVERRIDE FEATURE, BUT AT THAT TIME, ANOTHER CONTROLLER WAS TRANSMITTING. THE BOEING CREW SAW THE ACFT COMING HEAD-ON & TOOK EVASIVE ACTION BY MAKING A STEEP TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE OTHER ACFT WAS A LIGHT SINGLE ENG PLANE THAT WAS FLYING AT 2000 FT MSL. THE LIGHT PLANE WAS NEVER IDENTIFIED & WAS NOT OBSERVED TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. A GROUP II TERMINAL CONTROL AREA (TCA) WAS IN PLACE AT NEW ORLEANS. THE NEAR COLLISION OCCURRED WHERE THE MIN ALT FOR THAT PART OF THE INSTR APCH WAS AT THE BOTTOMOF THE TCA. VFR FLT UP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TCA IN THAT AREA WAS LEGAL. THE NUMBER OF OCCUPANTS IN THE SE ACFT WAS UNKN. ## Aircraft 1 - Registration: DABYP (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: BOEING 747-200 - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 21590 - Airframe hours: 26832 - Engines: GE CF6-50E turbo fan - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 129 - Registered owner: Lufthansa German Airlines - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: EDDF, FRNKFRT,GERMANY, OF - Destination: MSY, NEW ORLEANS, LA - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: runway 19, 7,000 × 150 ft, concrete ## Aircraft 2 - Registration: UNK (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: UNKNOWN UNKNOWN - Category: Airplane - Engines: UNKNOWN UNKNOWN unknown - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 91 - Operator: Unknown - Registered owner: Unknown - Departed: UNKNOWN - Destination: UNKNOWN - Flight plan: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot, aircraft 1; age 47; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 12,000 total - Pilot, aircraft 2; medical: unknown, unknown ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 10 knots - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 25,000 ft broken - Temperature: 73 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: MSY, 9 nm away From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.