# NTSB NYC87IA118: de Havilland DHC-7-102, N42RA, Wrightstown, NJ, April 8, 1987 - Type: NTSB incident investigation - Classification: Incident · Minor injuries · Incident investigation · Final report - Date: April 8, 1987, 10:31 local (14:31 UTC) - Place: Wrightstown, NJ - Location: 40.0256° N, 74.6319° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Wrightstown, NJ, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0256&lon=-74.6319&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor, 15 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 10, 1989 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Safety recommendations: Yes - NTSB case key (mKey): 30528 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC87IA118 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/30528/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC87IA118 ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Near collision between aircraft, cruise - normal - radar traffic information service - inadequate, atc personnel(dep/apch) (cause) - procedures/directives - not followed, atc personnel(dep/apch) - inadequate training, other government personnel (contributing factor) - facility inadequate, other government personnel (contributing factor) - visual lookout - inadequate, pilot of other aircraft (cause) - Near collision between aircraft, cruise - normal - radar traffic information service - inadequate, atc personnel(dep/apch) (cause) - procedures/directives - not followed, atc personnel(dep/apch) - inadequate training, other government personnel (contributing factor) - facility inadequate, other government personnel (contributing factor) - visual lookout - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis (aircraft 2) RANSOM FLT 444 (DHC-7) RPRTD A NEAR COLLISION WITH USAF C-141 (GLEEK 41) AS FLT 444 WAS AT 5000' & GLEEK 41 WAS CLBG TO 7500' FM A COMBAT AIRCREW TRAINING (CAT) MNVR. FLT 444 WAS UNDER IFR CTL OF MCGUIRE AFB RAPCON; GLEEK 41 WAS VFR, RCVG RADAR ADZYS FM RAPCON. THE DHC-7 CREW RPRTD THE CAMOUFLAGED C-141 BLENDED WITH THE BACKGROUND. AS THEY MNVRD TO AVOID A COLLISION, THE F/A & 1 PAX WERE INJURED. THE C-141 CAT MNVR (FM RWY 36 AT MCGUIRE) SIMULATED VFR APCH & DEP FM A HOSTILEARPT ENVIRONMENT. TO STAY IN THE ALLOCATED AIRSPACE, GLEEK 41 SHOULD HAVE MADE A LEFT CLBG DEP. THE RAPCON CTLR LACKED FAMILIARITY WITH THE CAT MNVR, BUT APPROVED A CLB TO 7500'. HE NOTED FLT 444 WAS COMING FM THE WEST, SO GAVE A TRAFFIC ADZY & TOLD GLEEK 41 TO TURN RGT TO 090 DEG. BY THAT TIME, GLEEK 41 WAS WELL IN A LEFT TURN, CLBG ABT 3000'/MIN. ANOTHERTRAFFIC ADZY WAS GIVEN & GLEEK 41 WAS TOLD TO LVL AT 4500', BUT IN RCHD ABT 5000' & CONVERGED WITH FLT 444 BFR ASCENT WAS ARRESTED. THE RAPCON RADAR (GPN-12/PIDP) DIDN'T HAVE CONFLICT ALERT FUNCTION. THE C-141 CREW DIDN'T SEE THE DHC-7. ## Analysis (aircraft 1) RANSOM FLT 444 (DHC-7) RPRTD A NEAR COLLISION WITH USAF C-141 (GLEEK 41) AS FLT 444 WAS AT 5000' & GLEEK 41 WAS CLBG TO 7500' FM A COMBAT AIRCREW TRAINING (CAT) MNVR. FLT 444 WAS UNDER IFR CTL OF MCGUIRE AFB RAPCON; GLEEK 41 WAS VFR, RCVG RADAR ADZYS FM RAPCON. THE DHC-7 CREW RPRTD THE CAMOUFLAGED C-141 BLENDED WITH THE BACKGROUND. AS THEY MNVRD TO AVOID A COLLISION, THE F/A & 1 PAX WERE INJURED. THE C-141 CAT MNVR (FM RWY 36 AT MCGUIRE) SIMULATED VFR APCH & DEP FM A HOSTILEARPT ENVIRONMENT. TO STAY IN THE ALLOCATED AIRSPACE, GLEEK 41 SHOULD HAVE MADE A LEFT CLBG DEP. THE RAPCON CTLR LACKED FAMILIARITY WITH THE CAT MNVR, BUT APPROVED A CLB TO 7500'. HE NOTED FLT 444 WAS COMING FM THE WEST, SO GAVE A TRAFFIC ADZY & TOLD GLEEK 41 TO TURN RGT TO 090 DEG. BY THAT TIME, GLEEK 41 WAS WELL IN A LEFT TURN, CLBG ABT 3000'/MIN. ANOTHERTRAFFIC ADZY WAS GIVEN & GLEEK 41 WAS TOLD TO LVL AT 4500', BUT IT RCHD ABT 5000' & CONVERGED WITH FLT 444 BFR ASCENT WAS ARRESTED. THE RAPCON RADAR (GPN-12/PIDP) DIDN'T HAVE CONFLICT ALERT FUNCTION. THE C-141 CREW DIDN'T SEE THE DHC-7. ## Aircraft 1 - Registration: N42RA (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: de Havilland DHC-7-102 - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 58 - Engines: P&W PT6A-50 1174 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Minor damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: Pan Am Express - Registered owner: General Electric Credit Corp. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: PHL, PHILADELPHIA, PA - Destination: JFK, JAMAICA, NY - Flight plan: IFR ## Aircraft 2 - Registration: USAF (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: LOCKHEED C-141 - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 63-8090 - Engines: P&W TF33-P-7 21000 lbs thrust turbo fan - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 91 - Registered owner: Usaf - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: WRI, MCGUIRE AFB, NJ - Destination: WRI - Flight plan: Military VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot, aircraft N42RA; age 40; airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 15,674 total, 4,666 in this make and model, 180 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 24 hours - Pilot, aircraft 2; military; medical: class 2, unknown; seat: right ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 350° at 7 knots - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Incident 19870408014229I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19870408014229I), Apr 8, 1987: Dhav DHC7102, Philadelphia, PA, Minor damage. Near miss occurred with an air force C141 on climb to altitude. 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.