Teterboro, NJ – A plane on short final to New Jersey’s bustling Teterboro Airport (TEB) burst into flames in a dramatic accident today – marking the third newsworthy incident at the airport this year.
While en route to runway 01 on a flight from Natucket (ACK), witnesses saw the Swearingen SA-226T (N22DW) swerving and behaving erratically as it passed over Moonachie Road. The right wing reportedly struck the runway and deparated from the aircraft, causing the wreckage to swerve uncontrollably to a stop in a grass strip within the airport perimeter.
The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the pilot and owner of the aircraft, Dominick Alfieri, is suffering from minor burns but is in fair condition, after declaring engine problems when his twin-engine Metroliner turboprop was only seconds away from touchdown.
Pilots who have flown N22DW commented, under anonymity, that the aircraft was not maintained properly and was prone to troublesome flight.
This comes in the midst of plans for a $500,000 project to install foam arrestor beds at the end of runway 06, a proven method designed to safely capture aircraft that run astray. These lightweight concrete barriers are due to be installed in 2007, and such a move would bring Teterboro’s safety practices closer to the likes of Kennedy and La Guardia Airports, which already exhibit such features.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has been under pressure to retrofit the airport with the arrestor beds since a serious incident on February 2. In a violent failed aborted takeoff from runwya 06, the DDH Aviation Canadair Challenger CL-600 N370V) bound for Chicago, IL skidded through the perimeter fence, across Route 46, and into a clothing warehours. There were no fatalities among the 11 passengers and crew or hundreds of people on the ground, but 20 serious injuries were reported. Had arrestor beds been in place, the 20 ton jet woudl not have been allowed to speed through the 300 feet separating the runway and the busy road.
A month later, on March 8, a Hawker business jet from Columbus, OH, Skidded 200 to 300 feet off runway 01 for an unknown reason.It came to a stop in a snowy field, where the 4 uninjured crew and passengers were able to escape.
The charred remains of the Metroliner are to be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and inspectors from the FAA.
