Boeing 727-100 incident near Newark, New Jersey, March 23, 1993
On March 23, 1993 at about 4:26 am local time, a Boeing 727-100, registered N107FE, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S MISUNDERSTANDING OF LANDING RUNWAY, AND THE FAILURE OF THE LOCAL CONTROLLER TO ADEQUATELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THE FLIGHT. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENT WERE: THE FAILURE OF TOWER PERSONNEL TO NOTIFY TRACON OF THE ATIS CHANGE, THE LOCAL CONTROLLER PERFORMING GROUND CONTROLLER DUTIES, AND THE PILOT'S EXPECTATION TO LAND ON RUNWAY 4L AS A RESULT OF THE ATIS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 1993 · about 4:26 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-100 · all 727-100s on the register
- Registration
- N107FE · registry record · serial 19202
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE, FLIGHT 943, HAD BEEN VECTORED FOR LANDING, AND TO EXPECT A RWY 4R ILS, WITH A SIDESTEP MANEUVER TO LAND RWY 4L. ATIS HAD REPORTED RWY 4R CLOSED. WHILE BEING VECTORED, ATIS WAS AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE OPENING OF RWY 4R FOR LANDINGS. TRACON WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE CHANGE; THEREFORE THE FLIGHT WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE CHANGE. MEANWHILE, ANOTHER B-727, FEDERAL EXPRESS FLT 314, WAS CLEARED INTO POSITION ON RWY 4L AND TO HOLD FOR TAKEOFF CLEARANCE. RWY 4L HAS A DISPLACED THRESHOLD OF APPROX 740 FT. FLIGHT 943 WAS SWITCHED TO THE TOWER AND GIVEN LANDING CLEARANCE FOR RWY 4R. THE CREW DID NOT HEAR THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE 'RIGHT,' AND THEY LINED UP AND LANDED ON RWY 4L. THE TOWER DID NOT REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE LANDING CLEARANCE FROM FLIGHT 943. THE CREW OF FLIGHT 943 DID NOT SEE FLIGHT 314 ON THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD UNTIL THEY WERE JUST ABOUT OVER THE AIRPLANE. THE ONLY LIGHTS ON FLIGHT 314 WHILE HOLDING WERE THE NAVIGATION LIGHTS, ROTATING BEACON AND TAXI LIGHT. LOCAL CONTOLLER ALSO PERFORMING GROUND CONTROLLER DUTIES.
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 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 11,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 153,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Federal Express, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BOS Boston MA at 3:15 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4L, 8,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.
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.