Nov 1, 2006 12:22 pm US/Eastern
FAA, NTSB Investigate Newark Airport Incidents
by Scott Weinberger
NEWARK, N.J. (CBS) ―
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CBS 2 has learned that it was the less experienced co-pilot who was at the controls at the time of the landing.
CBS
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In the second incident, a Continental jet was clipped by a Lufthansa flight about to take off for Frankfurt.
CBS
Investigators on Wednesday continued to probe two recent mishaps at one of the nation's busiest airports, one in which a jet landed in the wrong place and another in which two planes clipped wings while on the tarmac.
In the most recent incident, the left wing of outbound Lufthansa Flight 403, a Boeing 747, and the right wing of a Continental Boeing 757 bumped at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Alan Hicks, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The Continental plane was empty and being towed to an overnight parking spot, but was stationary at the time it was struck, according to Continental Airlines Inc. spokeswoman Mary Clark.
Three days earlier, a Continental flight from Florida carrying more than 160 passengers mistakenly landed on a narrow taxiway close to airprt buildings instead of on a runway. No one was injured. Continental said both pilots were grounded.
Sources told CBS 2 the less-experienced co-pilot was at the controls of the 757 at the time of the landing. The pilot, they said, was experienced, but new to flying the 757.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the taxiway landing, said Northeast region duty officer Todd Gunther. If the ground collision caused substantial damage to aircraft, the NTSB may also investigate that incident, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration also was investigating Tuesday evening's collision, according to FAA spokesman Jim Peters.
In that accident, none of the Lufthansa flight's 294 passengers, three of them infants, or 17 crew members were injured in the collision, which took place on a taxiway, according to Lufthansa AG spokeswoman Jennifer Urbaniak.
The Lufthansa flight was bound for Frankfurt, Germany. The plane was towed back to the gate and passengers were re-booked on other flights departing Tuesday evening and Wednesday from Newark, New York and Philadelphia airports, Urbaniak said. About 40 percent of the passengers had been booked on new flights by midnight, she said, and Lufthansa arranged for hotel rooms for the rest.
No other flights were delayed by the collision, according to Hicks. There was no immediate report on the extent of the damage to either aircraft.
There have been at least two other ground collisions between planes in the last 20 months at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to NTSB records.
In March 2005, a Boeing 737 struck a parked Gulfstream G-IV as it taxied out of a ramp area, causing significant damage to the Gulfstream.
Five months later, a taxiing Boeing 737 operated by Continental Airlines struck two parked Embraer 145 planes at the west end of a taxiway as they waited to take off, causing significant damage to one of them.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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