Fire Captain Chris Michalea of the Glen Cove Fire Department said he was inside the plane removing about 30 people, including four or five infants. [2]:4 The handoff controller asked whether NY TRACON could take the flight or whether to send Avianca to its alternate airport. Cove Neck, on Nassau's border with Suffolk County, separates Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbors on Long Island Sound. [2]:9 Almost a minute later, the JFK tower cleared the flight to land on runway 22L. Eight of the nine crew members and 65 of the 149 passengers on board were killed. This confusion may have been the reason that the flight continued to hold, burning up its reserve fuel to the point where it could no longer divert to Boston. With 149 Aboard; At Least 9 Killed on a Boeing 707 From Colombia, https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/26/nyregion/plane-crashes-li-with-149-aboard-least-9-killed-boeing-707-colombia.html. By 3 A.M. there were 30 white body bags on the lawn of the home of John and Katy McEnroe, parents of John McEnroe, the tennis star. The aircraft began descending beyond the angle of the glideslope, then began climbing above it, followed by a steeper descent. Avianca Flight 52, a Boeing 707, was reported to be carrying 158 people when it crashed Thursday night on its second approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport. About 50 ambulances were caught in traffic arriving and leaving the scene, as scores of emergency vehicles jousted with curious onlookers and neighbors. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Survivors described a plane ride that began normally. Workers lifted injured passengers out of the plane, placed them on stretchers or backboards and then eased them from rescuer to rescuer down the attached ladders. The family lives in Queens and had been vacationing in Colombia, she said. Dickinson said gauges showed the plane had 10,000 pounds of fuel remaining, but he could not say how long that would have lasted. [16] Passenger Astrid Lopez was initially believed to be dead due to her severe injuries, and officials placed her body in the morgue. At 21:32:38, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recorded a temporary interruption in power. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The airplane lay in three pieces. [2]:14 Of the surviving passengers, 72 adults and children over three years old sustained serious injuries, while two sustained minor injuries. "[2]:6 The flight crew acknowledged the advisory. ''Helicopters were landing in everybody's back yard,'' Mr. Puzio said. They came together in an impressive show of grace under pressure. The report posits that the passengers' legs hit the lower seat frames in front of them. The Avianca Flight 052 aircraft was a Boeing 707-321B (registration number HK-2016). New York Daily News published this on Jan. 27, 1990. One priest, the Rev. Were trained to prepare for the worst, but my first reaction was that this was a dream, Race said. In the next few frantic hours, nearly 1,000 rescue workers realized what a blessing and a curse it was that the doomed jet came down on this spit of land that separates Oyster Bay from Cold Spring Harbor on the famed Gold Coast of northern Long Island. ''I haven't seen my son, but they say he's O.K.,'' she told Hernando Reyes, a reporter for a Colombian radio station. The flight did not express any concern to ATC about their fuel situation during the first two holding patterns that the flight made. Through several hours in the dark and drizzle, Race freed 12 more people. I had to give them hope. This stress, investigators asserted, would have degraded the flight crew's performance on final approach. "[2]:6[k] The handoff controller later testified that he had not heard Flight 052 say that they could no longer reach their alternate airport. It struck an oak tree, which penetrated the area occupied by Klotz and Moyano. Accessible only by a winding, two-lane road, the disaster scene was quickly cut off by a jam of fire trucks, police cars and the curious . San Juan Center for Independence. '', The next thing she knew there was a crash. [35], Avianca has not retired the flight number. [2]:1, Flight 052 departed Bogot at 13:10 Eastern Standard Time, five minutes ahead of schedule, on January 25, 1990. From a communications center in Mineola, the Nassau Police Department and the Nassau Fire Marshal assigned scores of police officers, firefighters and ambulances from all over the county to go to the site. "[2]:12, A minute later, the controller instructed the flight to turn to the northeast and asked the flight crew if they had enough fuel to be directed 15 miles (24km) from the airport. The investigators include experts in air traffic control, aircraft structural problems, engine systems and human performance. The swell of support created major problems for extricating survivors. Avianca Flight 052 is, as of 2023, a flight from Lima to Bogot. WPBF - West Palm Beach. He called the police. ''I hope that he's O.K.'' Klotz replied at 20:46:03 that they could hold for five more minutes. . Investigators said he also told air controllers at Kennedy about his fuel problems but "did not declare a fuel emergency.". The plane clipped a path through the tree line before it plowed into an embankment. Joseph Collins, and he gave last rites to about 45 people who were "either dead or dying.". Mr. Giraldo, who had a window seat behind the wing, said he drank red wine. [2]:39 With the surge of rescue personnel who converged on the area, the roads leading to the site soon became choked with traffic. People were screaming, Help me, help me, help me. Limbs were bent every way you can imagine. Police, firefighters and other emergency personnel said that the rescue went well, considering the obstacles, until they tried to evacuate the injured. They carried scores of victims from the jetliner. Jorge Lozano, an executive from Bogota, told The Associated Press that he, too, had heard no warning. Later, a CFCF supervisor contacted NY TRACON and requested a higher rate of 33 landings per hour. [2]:21 Avianca personnel reported that they factored in a 5% fuel overburn into the performance calculations due to the hush kit, along with an additional 5% overburn due to the age of the aircraft. Many of those who survived were severely injured and required months or years to physically recover. First Officer Klotz replied, "I guess so thank you very much. '', Amanda Pinzon of Elizabeth, N.J., whose husband, Jesus, and son Brian survived the crash, said her husband had told her that the plane had had a jolt shortly before the crash. "[2]:1011 The first officer warned the captain about the sink rate and noted an altitude of 500 feet (150m) at 21:23:10. ''There's no question that that saved lives here,'' said Sgt. These same issues were reported on the aircraft's penultimate flight, but maintenance was unable to fix the autopilot, and it was disabled as a result. As the impact progressed, the seats, now separated, flung passengers forward into each other and into other wreckage, causing head injuries and lacerations. They included a group of orphans who were coming to the United States to be adopted. One second later, the CVR stopped recording. She returned to the crash site, and one of the first rescue workers on the scene handed her another baby. 2 engine was out - which could have meant that it stopped functioning, not necessarily that it had fallen off - just after 9:30, Ms. Bergen said. The family of tennis star John McEnroe owned a home on Tennis Court Road. At 21:32:49, Klotz radioed the controller, informing him that the flight had "just ah lost two engines[,] andwe need priority please. The final controller instructed the flight crew to contact the JFK tower controllers and signed off. [18], Rescue workers set up two triage areas on the lawn of John and Kay McEnroe, the parents of professional tennis player John McEnroe; the house is known as the Edward H. Swan House. Avianca Flight 52, a Boeing 707 bound from Bogota with a stopover in the cocaine capital of Medellin, fell on a wooded hillside in Cove Neck, not far from the estate of tennis champion John McEnroe. ''One of the rescue people gave it to me because he saw that I was cold. Klotz acknowledged the transmission. More than 20 children were among the 161 persons aboard the plane. I told them I saw a lot of children who were all right, which I did. About the same time, airport officials received reports of a plane down in Cove Neck. Dr. Grieco said he did not know the woman's name or if she survived. See the article in its original context from. Despite these problems, however, only three of the passengers found alive died of their injuries. See the article in its original context from. The explosion and crash killed all 107 people on board. ''I saw the boy leaning on me,'' she said. Doctors at North SHore University Hospital said they removed four golf-ball-sized condoms full of cocaine from one man who survived the crash. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. They are expected to conclude their preliminary investigation within three days. They also found signs that the engines, which remained intact, were not getting fuel odor. Tennis Court Road is noose-shaped with a loop at the end and no outlet, causing vehicles to clog the roadway and adding to the chaos of the crash response. ''After a few minutes I saw the sheet begin to move,'' Dr. Grieco said. THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 52; Fog on a Narrow Road: Rescue Was an Ordeal, https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/27/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-fog-on-a-narrow-road-rescue-was-an-ordeal.html, Eric Schmitt, Special To the New York Times. Another one was conscious and was calling for her baby, 'Nino.' The GPWS began four "glideslope" audible warnings a few seconds later, alerting the flight crew that the aircraft was below the glideslope. At 9:32, Caviedes told the tower at Kennedy that two engines had failed, Dickinson said. The chapter opens with the story of the crash of Korean Air flight 801. At 21:09:29, flight engineer Moyano stated that the controllers "already know that we are in [a] bad condition. The Rev. Ms. Bergen, spokeswoman for the F.A.A., said that the pilot tried to land at Kennedy at 9:24 but because of poor weather called off the approach. 1 was in charge of the initial effort to remove people from the wreckage. The flight was later found to have had over two hours' worth of fuel remaining. You could see tons of green stuffing, insulation, hanging from the trees and covering the ground, said Gordon Allan, a resident who hurried to offer his help. JFK Jr. killed in plane crash On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr.; his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and her sister, Lauren Bessette, die when the single-engine plane that Kennedy was. 1. He stood in the rain in his Docksiders because he didnt have time to put on his firemans boots. If the pilots had been forced to fly manually from Medelln, investigators believed this might have added to exhaustion and stress in the cockpit. As rescue workers labored furiously to save the injured, there were a million small kindnesses. Instead, the CVR revealed that the flight crew was convinced that they were being given priority. ''I realized that there was a problem,'' Mr. Giraldo said. [2]:52 Additionally, the alternate airport on the flight plan, Logan International Airport in Boston, was forecast to be below the safe minimum for landing. McEntire spoke about the. [b][2]:1418 Caviedes had 478 hours of night flying experience in the 707 (and 2,435 hours of night flying experience in total) and had no record of any prior accidents. This captivating and powerful documentary dives deep into the life of tennis great John McEnroe, who rose to world No. Witnesses told tales of horror and heroism amid the chaos, as rescuers pulled from the wreckage stunned and bloodied victims who were sandwiched between each other and rows of dislodged seats. The road was so impassable, many rescue workers left their vehicles miles away and made it to the scene on foot. Robinson, 53, was watching The Dave Thomas Comedy Show on television with his 79-year-old mother when he heard a disturbance and went out to investigate. Avianca Flight 052 was a regularly scheduled flight from Bogot, Colombia, to New York City, United States, via Medelln, Colombia, that crashed on January 25, 1990, at 21:34 (UTC05:00). Flight 052 departed the CAMRN holding pattern at 20:47. But it did not happen. By contrast, many passengers seated on the right side survived. Tiger Woods makes it to Round 3. At 9:30 P.M., the pilot of the plane radioed the tower at Kennedy Airport that the plane had lost an engine, and at 9:34 P.M., the tower lost radio contact with the plane, said Officer Robert Iannitto, a spokesman for the Nassau County police. "[2]:7 The flight crew began preparing for an instrument landing approach, extending flaps and discussing the appropriate airspeed. At Medelln, the captain and dispatcher decided to use another runway and requested an additional 2,000 pounds (910kg) of fuel. The flight crew selected the ILS. They said the Avianca jet was off-course by five to 10 miles to the east when it crashed. The authorities said it was unclear what caused the crash. ''I tagged 17,'' said Dr. George Dunn of Glen Cove, who was on hand most of the night. [2]:29, At 21:03:07, Flight 052 contacted the NY TRACON final controller, who cleared them to descend progressively to 2,000 feet (610m). ''I saw a lot of blood splattered on the inside,'' he said. She said that as the plane went down, she saw ''a red glow'' coming from the engines. Much of the fuselage was broken into pieces and the wings were ripped off, their pieces scattered. His navy blue uniform and white shirt were covered in blood. Joins Airline in Plan for Settlement in 1990 Crash", "Fuel Emergency Is Declared For Avianca Jet", "Fuel Emergency For Avianca Jet Said Premature", "It's True: Success Succeeds, and Advantages Can Help", "Survivors, first responders reunite 20 years after deadly crash of Avianca Flight 52 on Long Island", Pre-accident pictures of aircraft at Airliners.net, Pre-accident pictures of aircraft at JetPhotos.net, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avianca_Flight_052&oldid=1150608161, The events of Flight 052 were featured in "Missing over New York", a, The impact of cultural differences between the Colombian pilots and American air traffic controllers was discussed in, Survivor Nestor Zarate wrote a book about the flight, titled, This page was last edited on 19 April 2023, at 02:25. [citation needed], Wreckage of the aircraft on the hillside in Cove Neck. [34] Confusion arose as to what the pilot meant, but controllers declared an emergency pre-emptively and cleared the plane to land immediately. Ladders were placed on the muddy hillside, and human chains formed from the wreckage down to the roadway. I didn't know where my father was. By - Probers looking for clues to the cause of the crash of the packed Columbian jetliner are focusing primarily on lack of fuel, as well as possible mechanical failure and the pilot's actions in the last few minutes of the ill-fated flight from Columbia to new York. I n March 2020, just before the pandemic locked the world down, John McEnroe faced Michael Chang in an exhibition tennis match at Indian Wells in California. The curse was in Cove Necks prized seclusion. Investigators realized that none of the four engines had been under power at the time of impact. Jim Burnett voted against the adoption of the report because he felt it did not adequately address the failures of the air traffic controllers or the FAA's role in allowing more traffic than JFK could handle. The NTSB report noted that Avianca did not record the instrument time for any of the crewmen. The Nassau Fire Marshal, Joseph G. Boslet Jr., was among those forced to walk to the site. Analysis. But inside the plane was all dark, and she knew the passengers were in trouble when the emergency lights over the doors flashed on. She said that at 9:34, the plane was 14 miles east-northeast of the airport. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, Kathleen Bergen, said that at least 9 people were killed and at least 87 were injured. I could just hear them feebly crying for help, said Robinson. In his first call to the Nassau County Fire Commission dispatch, he requested all the help available. As a contest, it was next to . ''I've never seen a more difficult rescue,'' said Dr. Lawrence Mottley, medical director of New York City's Emergency Medical Services, which was summoned to help. Investigators said a preliminary investigation by Nassau County police found that many passengers on the plane's left side died because they were thrown out through the ripped fuselage. While there was no single overall coordinator among the emergency personnel, the police and fire commanders exchanged information, Robert J. Doran, Nassau's Deputy Chief Fire Marshal, said. Any new home requires four acres for a building permit. [2]:71. ''He felt an impact, and the next thing he knew, he was unconscious. would have adequately communicated the existence of a dangerous situation, and the problem was that the pilots failed to use this terminology with the controllers". By 03:30, all the survivors had been evacuated to hospitals. [2]:59 In 1989, the FAA began requiring domestic carriers to change to digital FDRs to minimize the errors that foil models produced. This requirement did not apply to international carriers. [2]:39 At least one flight crew member was airlifted to Nassau County Medical Center. [2]:71 At the same time, the seats collapsed and twisted downward and to the left, likely causing hip and spinal fractures. A funeral Mass for John McEnroe, Sr., a powerful Manhattan attorney and father of one of the greatest tennis players in history, will be held Friday, Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Thomas . While en route, the flight was placed in three holding patterns. Some were evacuated by helicopter. Coast Guard Petty Officer Jeff Crawley said several cutters and other emergency service boats were heading to Oyster Bay Harbor, just west of the crash site. ''A priest helping me was holding a patient's IV bag in one hand and giving last rites with the other,'' Dr. Coyne said. The lights went off and people started to scream," survivor Carlos Gomez said. An administrator at Glen Cove Communities Hospital, Steven Bernstein, said that nine injured people had been taken to the emergency room and that eight were expected to recover. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Survivors were taken to a broad lawn nearby where doctors, roused from their homes, were at work. The family of tennis millionaire John McEnroe has a home here; indeed, the lawn became the resting place for scores of bodies in white plastic shrouds. [20][19] A morgue and command post were also set up on their property, which was 500 feet (150m) from the crash site. We could see that the plane was descending and there was no airport anywhere. Later, the Nassau County Medical Examiner confirmed that Juan David had died. Four helicopters from the unit took 21 people to area hospitals once the dense fog cleared, Sergeant Koehler said. One guy pinned in the wreckage had a little boy next to him. "[2]:1011 The first officer told the JFK tower controller that "we'll try once again[;] we're running out of fuel," to which the controller replied, "okay. But first, family members went in to speak with the mother. Avianca Jet Crashes on Tennis Court Road and Cove Neck Road in Cove Neck, L.I. [2]:2227[e], The flight departed Medelln at 15:08, bound for JFK. [2]:55 The NTSB posited that the flight crew might have become confused about the "expect further clearance" (EFC) times they were given. Dumping fuel. [2]:60 The CVR and ATC recordings became vital sources of evidence for the crash. ''I think the guy ran out of gas. Nearly a century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt relaxed at Sagamore Hill, a few hundred yards from the wreckage. [2], Avianca Flight 052 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from El Dorado International Airport in Bogot, Colombia, to JFK in Queens, New York, with an intermediate stop at Jos Mara Crdova International Airport near Medelln, Colombia. [25][26] The surviving flight attendant testified that no communication was made from the cockpit as to the unfolding situation, thus no warning came in the end to assume brace positions. The head of surgery of the Nassau County Medical Center was present at the scene, but unable to direct patients to the best locations because many rescuers were radioing the center itself to get advice on where they should send the survivors. But Race said one womans seat was thrown from the plane and perched on top the orange and white fuselage, while another woman had to pulled down from a tree. bluecrest capital management london address; motorcycle accident porterville ca; elizabeth boeheim missoula; Brands. Because the plane had plowed into a hilltop making evacuation difficult, firefighters laid down ladders alongside the damaged fuselage and formed makeshift assembly lines. The accident report reveals Denver was the only occupant aboard the plane. Helicopters roared overhead and landed in the flare-lit zones to whisk away the injured. One victim died in the emergency room and 8 were undergoing surgery. The Rev. A little girl with torn stockings. By 1:45 A.M., the medical center had admitted 18 people, 3 of whom died in the hospital, according to Michael M. Deluca, a hospital administrator. [2]:1011 At 21:23:23, the flight began climbing again, having come within 250 feet (76m) of crashing 2 miles short of the runway. There were bodies all over the place - outside the plane, and buried in the wreckage. Hundreds of emergency workers went to the scene, a wooded hill covered with pieces of the plane. Reba McEntire is opening up about the 1991 plane crash that killed 10 people, including eight of her band and crew members, and how she recovered from the tragedy. "[m] At 20:54:40, the feeder controller directed Flight 052 to make a 360 turn. The lights flickered, and we heard the bang. ''There was no time to scream.''. Everyone was all tangled up. George Koehler, a helicopter pilot with the New York City Police Aviation Unit, which participated with Nassau County in the drill at La Guardia. He awoke and saw ''a lot of bodies packed tight, like sardines.'' The cockpit section had broken off the deck on Sam Tissenbaums home, and the tail section lay across the road just 100 yards from Rick Robinsons two story green cottage. Joseph Collins gave the last rites 35 or 40 times., Volunteer firefighter John Fonda was assigned to photograph the scene. A chicken-and-rice dinner was served. '', Mr. Giraldo and Mr. Lozano agreed with Mrs. Patino, who said: ''They didn't give us instructions of any kind. Co-pilot Klotz had been employed with Avianca for three years and had 1,837 hours of flight time, with 408 hours at night. Medical professionals on site reported that some hospitals received the most up-to-date information by watching the news coverage. Air Crash; 89 Survive", "Avianca Crash Leaves Questions on Response", "THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 52; Fog on a Narrow Road: Rescue Was an Ordeal", "At the Crash Scene, Disbelief, Disarray, Then Cooperation", "Plane Crashes on L.I. The traffic became so impossible that police officers turned away doctors and nurses who came to volunteer to avoid making the gridlock worse. At Medelln, the aircraft landed with 67,200 pounds (30,500kg) of fuel. I didnt hear any engine noise, said Robinson, a sports writer for the Oyster Bay Guardian. The right side of the forward end of the fuselage fractured a residential wooden deck. 324 Posted by 1 year ago 2 [2]:12, At that point, First Officer Klotz radioed the controller, saying, "ah well I think we need priority we're passing [unintelligible]. At 20:46:47, the NY ARTCC radar controller cleared the flight to proceed to JFK at 11,000 feet (3,400m) and to slow to 180 knots (210mph; 330km/h). Mr. Chazotte said he was amazed at how many children, between 8 and 15 years old, were in the cabin. While over Long Island Sound, Caviedes told a tracking station in Westbury that he was "low on fuel." goldman sachs investment banking salary uk how do you steer straight forward and backward? ''They said absolutely nothing. The tail of the plane lay near the top of the hill near her home. By the time of the crash, the aircraft was 22 years old and had over 61,000 flight hours. Minutes after the accident, Nassau County disaster response plans were set in motion. Rain, heavy fog and narrow roads leading to the crash site hampered rescue crews, who had to cut some survivors out of the twisted Boeing 707, which was broken into three pieces. ''I saw at least 12 or 15 surgeons.''. [2]:71 The NTSB investigators found severe damage on the floor of the cabin, leading many of the passengers' seats to fracture where their legs met the floor track. But in all the eyes showed a common mourning, a sign not likely to be forgotten soon in this place where nothing was supposed to happen. Also, major problems occurred with communication by rescuers. Bodies under blankets. By 1:45 A.M., no bodies had been brought to the Nassau County Medical Examiner's office, which is adjacent to the medical center. The teen-ager rushed to the scene. Beneath firefighters helmets and fishermens wool caps, sweaty faces showed the range of a community. Eventually, four helicopters from the New York City Police Aviation Unit evacuated 21 people from the crash site. At least 30 bodies were gathered on the makeshift morgue at the McEnroe property by 03:00 the following morning. They think the man may have as many as 10 bags inside him. For several minutes the wealthy neighborhood of large secluded homes along the water was still. "[2]:12 The controller inquired as to how long the flight could hold, as well as what their alternate airport was. [2]:13 At 21:34:00, the controller tried to radio the flight, asking, "You have enough fuel to make it to the airport? Forty-one rescue squads from Long Island and 15 ambulances from New York City Emergency Medical Service took survivors to local hospitals, after slogging their way through rain, mud and knots of curiosity seekers who clogged the narrow two-lane road leading to the wooded crash site. Set at the final of the 1984 French Open between McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, it showed his blowout in a match that should have won. Mrs. Patino's sobs were soon heard coming from the room. [32] The U.S. government eventually joined Avianca and reached a settlement estimated at over $200million in damages to the victims. A second reporter waited outside the room for an interview. Klotz acknowledged. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The first indication of worry came at 20:09 when the flight crew inquired about delays at Boston. At 21:00, JFK was experiencing light drizzle and fog with .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}14 mile visibility, an indefinite ceiling with 200 feet (61m) obscured, and a wind of 21 knots (24mph; 39km/h) at 190. [2]:7879 Christopher Hart filed a partial dissent because he disagreed with the report's findings of a lack of standardized terminology. The failures of the flight crew were cited as the probable cause of the crash, but the weather, air traffic controller performances, and FAA traffic management were also cited as contributing to the events that led to the accident. The dead were taken away by ambulance. Most of the passengers were still buckled in their seats. About four hours into the flight, he added, the pilot announced that the plane would land 20 minutes later than the scheduled time of 7:50 P.M. At 21:24:06, the captain asked the first officer to "tell them we are in [an] emergency. The front lawn of a home where the parents of tennis star John McEnroe sometimes live was turned into a makeshift morgue with four dozen bodies lined up on the grass. ''All of us held each other, because that was the moment it all started,'' said Mrs. Patino, who had been seated on the plane beside her husband and 7-year-old son. ''My dad said, 'Erin, a plane crashed.' [34] The second happened in August, when Avianca Flight 20 declared it had "only 15 minutes of fuel left". Most passengers suffered life-threatening compound fractures and head injuries, doctors said, and emergency personnel were under extraordinary pressure to make a snap judgment on each survivor's condition and on who would receive treatment first. ", The NTSB report defines this as "the fuel quantity that the captain would want on board as he commenced the first approach. The workers passed debris to free trapped passengers, who were also passed down. One Cove Neck resident, Peter Whitelaw, said he was playing tennis nearby when the plane crashed at Cove Neck and Tennis Court Roads. [18][16] At least six bodies were found outside the fuselage. Neither of the pilots' seats had shoulder straps as were required by United States domestic passenger flights. No people on the ground were injured, the authorities said. Fog and a narrow winding dead-end lane that quickly clogged with emergency and civilian vehicles severely hampered rescue operations after a Colombian jetliner crashed here Thursday night, the authorities said today.