Boeing 777 incident near 80 SE Of Jfk (Atlantic Ocean), New York, January 21, 2011
On January 21, 2011 at about 3:35 am local time, a Boeing 777, registered N766AN, was involved in an incident during enroute (climb to cruise) near 80 SE Of Jfk (Atlantic Ocean), New York. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Incomplete and incorrect coordination between air traffic controllers that resulted in the 777 and the two C17s being cleared to maintain the same altitude. Contributing to the incident was the controllers’ non-adherence to established communications phraseology and incorrect data entry into the radar data blocks for each aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 2011 · about 3:35 am local time
- Place
- 80 SE Of Jfk (Atlantic Ocean), New York
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 777 200 · all 777s on the register
- Registration
- N766AN · registry record
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A near-midair collision occurred between a Boeing 777-200 and a flight of two US Air Force C-17s as the result of an operational error by controllers at the New York air route traffic control center (ZNY). The airplanes responded to traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) advisories, and both controllers immediately provided traffic advisories and turned each aircraft to resolve the conflict. According to recorded radar data, the three airplanes passed within approximately 0 feet vertically and .38 miles laterally from each other. The air traffic data controller, who was the coordinator between two radar controllers, told the controller working the 777 to stop the airplane at flight level (FL) 210. Following that coordination and while still on an open line with that controller, the data controller leaned toward the controller working the two-C17s and told him to stop his flight at FL220. The controller working the 777 overheard the portion of the communication where the data controller said to stop at FL220 and believed that the instruction was meant for the 777. Therefore, the controller instructed the 777 to climb to FL220, while at the same time the controller instructed the C17s to descend to FL220. Additionally, the investigation revealed that the radar data blocks for each of the airplanes displayed incorrect assigned altitude data. The data block for the 777 indicated that the airplane was cleared to climb to FL230 and the data block for the C17s indicated that the flights were cleared to descent to 10,000 feet. Both of these were incorrect: the radar data block for all involved airplanes should have reflected the assigned altitudes of FL220.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision avoidance alert during enroute (climb to cruise)
- Abrupt maneuver during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › Accuracy of communication › ATC personnel
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › Common phraseology › ATC personnel
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › ATC personnel
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 81 SE Of Jfk NY
- Destination: SBGR Sao Paulo
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N766AN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number OPS11IA246.