Boeing 737 incident near New York, New York, December 8, 1998
On December 8, 1998 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Boeing 737, registered GCPX, was involved in an incident near New York, New York (La Guardia Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 52 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The Cessna pilot's incorrect visual identification of the Boeing 737's altitude, and decision to take evasive action that was not required, which resulted in the two airplanes coming within 500 feet horizontally, and 0 feet vertically of one another.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 1998 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- New York, New York · La Guardia Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 52 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- GCPX · no longer on the register · serial 22341
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Boeing 737 was on downwind for La Guardia's runway 4, at 4,000 feet msl, when the crew caught a glimpse of three lights. The lights were red, white, green, and aligned vertically with the red light on the bottom. The first officer saw the other airplane, and had enough time to realize they were not going to collide, but not enough time to execute an evasive maneuver. In addition, the airplane's traffic alert collision avoidance system went from 'TRAFFIC' to 'MONITOR VERTICAL SPEED' to 'CLEAR OF CONFLICT' in approximately 2 seconds. The other airplane was a Cessna 172, IFR, at 5,000 feet msl. The pilot of that airplane saw the Boeing 737 at his 12 O'clock position, and perceived it to be at the same altitude. To avoid a perceived collision, the Cessna pilot executed a descent, and at 4,000 feet msl, the two airplanes passed 0 feet vertically and 500 feet horizontally from one another.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 128,100 lb
- Seats: 106
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YYZ Toronto OF
- Destination: LGA NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 346° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from LGA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 46 |
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.