Newark Airport Reports Two `Near Misses' in May

Two commercial passenger jets flying into Newark Liberty International Airport experienced close calls with other aircraft last month, according to aviation officials who said the incidents remain under investigation.

The incidents were among five so-called near misses last month involving flights departing from or arriving at Newark, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Stewart International Airport in White Plains, N.Y., aviation officials said.

On May 21, Continental Airlines Flight 466, a Boeing 757 with 216 people aboard, was en route to Newark when the crew "reported coming into conflict with an unidentified aircraft five miles southeast of ville" at 6,000 feet, according to the FAA report. An alarm warning of the potential for a crash sounded in the cockpit, alerting the pilot to take "evasive action" and descend, the report said.

The two aircraft came within 200 feet vertically and 1.5 miles horizontally, the report said.

FAA officials consider it a near miss when planes come within 500 feet of each other. Typically, they are supposed to be separated by 3 miles and/or 1,000 feet, according to the agency.

"The system did exactly what it was supposed to do," said Julie King, a Continental spokeswoman.

The other incident occurred May 5, when Continental Express Flight 2009, an Embraer 145 regional jet en route to Newark, "reported coming into conflict with a glider 20 miles north of Sparta" at 7,000 feet, according to the FAA. The closest distance between the jet and glider was 300 feet vertically and zero miles horizontally, the agency said.

The incidents were first reported in yesterday's New York Post.

The president of the air traffic controllers union at Newark Liberty said there has been a reduction in aviation safety because of staffing shortages and overworked controllers in the region's air traffic control facilities. The FAA disputes the contention.

"You have staffing issues in almost every building in the agency," said Russ Halleran, a Newark controller as well as the local union president. "The margin of safety is still down . . . We've been screaming about this for years."

But Arlene Salac-Murray, an FAA spokeswoman, disputed such contentions, saying: "FAA's air traffic control facilities are sufficiently staffed to meet the traffic demands at the New York metro airports."

The FAA issued a statement on the five incidents, stating that the agency "investigates all Near Midair Collision reports filed by pilots in these incidents.

"Information obtained from these reports and the results of the investigations conducted by FAA are used to develop programs, policies and procedures to reduce these occurrences and to enhance the safety of the air transportation system," the FAA added.

Aviation authorities are still investigating another incident at Newark Liberty on Oct. 28, when Continental Airlines Flight 1883 from Orlando, with 157 passengers and six crew members aboard, landed on a taxiway instead of a runway.

Ron Marsico may be reached at [email protected] or (973) 392-7860.

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