Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 and Boeing 727-243 incident near Newark, New Jersey, November 1, 1987
On November 1, 1987 at about 10:12 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (N806NY) and Boeing 727-243 (N577PE), were involved in the same incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark Intl airport). No one was hurt; 226 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 1987 · about 10:12 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 226 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 · all DC-9-82s on the register
- Registration
- N806NY · no longer on the register · serial 49260
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Boeing 727-243 · all 727-243s on the register
- Registration
- N577PE · registry record · serial 21270
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative for the Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1710:53 EST, THE LCL TWR CTLR (LC) AT THE NEWARK INTL ARPT CLRD CONTINENTAL FLT 321 (DC-9-82, N806NY) FOR TAKEOFF ON RWY 22L; 11 SEC LATER, CONTINENTAL FLT 688 (BOEING 727, N577PE) RPRTD 'LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 29.' LC TOLD FLT 688 TO 'MAINTAIN 1500 AS YOU CROSS OVER THE FIELD.' RWY 22L (9300' LONG) WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF RWY 29; THUS, THE LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 29 WAS NR THE DEP END OF THE 22L. AT 1712:12, LC TOLD FLT 321 THAT FLT 688 WAS PASSING 'OVERHEAD & BEHIND YOU AT 1800' . . .' AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE CREW OF FLT 321 NOTED THEY WERE CLBG THRU 1000' WHEN THEY SAW FLT 688 PASSING DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. THE CAPT OF FLT 688 SAW FLT 321 TAKING OFF & ESTD THE SEPN REMAINED IN EXCESS OF 1000', BUT THE CAPT OF FLT 321 WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CLOSE PROXIMITY & CALLED THE TWR AFTER LNDG. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE PLANES PASSED WITHAPRX 400' VERTICAL & 1000' LATERAL SEPN, APRX 1/4 MI SOUTH OF THE ARPT. BOTH FLTS WERE OPERG ON IFR FLT PLANS. LC DID NOT ADZ EITHER FLT CREW OF THEIR TRAFFIC UNTIL 1712:12, MOMENTS BFR THEIR FLT PATHS CROSSED. THE ARPT HAD HVY TRAFFIC.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 727-243 final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1710:53 EST, THE LCL TWR CTLR (LC) AT THE NEWARK INTL ARPT CLRD CONTINENTAL FLT 321 (DC-9-82, N806NY) FOR TAKEOFF ON RWY 22L; 11 SEC LATER, CONTINENTAL FLT 688 (BOEING 727, N577PE) RPRTD 'LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 29.' LC TOLD FLT 688 TO 'MAINTAIN 1500 AS YOU CROSS OVER THE FIELD.' RWY 22L (9300' LONG) WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF RWY 29; THUS, THE LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 29 WAS NR THE DEP END OF RWY 22L. AT 1712:12, LC TOLD FLT 321 THAT FLT 688 WAS PASSING 'OVERHEAD & BEHIND YOU AT 1800' . . .' AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE CREW OF FLT 321 NOTED THEY WERE CLBG THRU 1000' WHEN THEY SAW FLT 688 PASSING DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. THE CAPT OF FLT 688 SAW FLT 321 TAKING OFF & ESTD THE SEPN REMAINED IN EXCESS OF 1000', BUT THE CAPT OF FLT 321 WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CLOSE PROXIMITY & CALLED THE TWR AFTER LNDG. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE PLANES PASSED WITHAPRX 400' VERTICAL & 1000' LATERAL SEPN, APRX 1/4 MI SOUTH OF THE ARPT. BOTH FLTS WERE OPERG ON IFR FLT PLANS. LC DID NOT ADZ EITHER FLT CREW OF THEIR TRAFFIC UNTIL 1712:12, MOMENTS BFR THEIR FLT PATHS CROSSED. THE ARPT HAD HVY TRAFFIC.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record for the Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 147,000 lb
- Seats: 172
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Destination: IAD Washington DC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22L, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from EWK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 78 |
The factual record for the Boeing 727-243 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 189
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SYR Syracuse NY at 9:05 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 6,800 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 135 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N806NY the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.