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NYC90FA104

1990-05-11 · JAMAICA, New York, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport JFK

Current FAA registration · N381MQ

Make / Model
SHORT BROS SD3-60
Engine
P&W PT6A SER (750 hp)
Seats / Engines
39 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19861107
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A46023

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

PILOT FACTOR IN THAT THE PILOT TAXIED INTO A HOLD POSITION THAT WAS TOO CLOSE TO A DEPARTING B-747, WHICH RESULTED IN THE A/C BEING BLOWN INTO A BLAST FENCE. CONTRIBUTING WAS THE LACK OF AVAILABLE INFORMATION FROM THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN THE FLIGHT CREW ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM WHICH TO BASE THEIR DECISION ON THE PLACEMENT OF THE AIRPLANE BEHIND THE DEPARTING 747.

Factual narrative

FLIGHT 335 A SD3-60 WAS CLEARED TO TAXI INTO POSITION AND HOLD BEHIND A DEPARTING B-747-400. AS FLIGHT 335 TAXIED FORWARD OF THE HOLD LINE. THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND WAS BLOWN INTO THE BLAST FENCE BY THE THRUST OF THE DEPARTING AIRPLANE. THE PIC HAD 44 HOURS IN TYPE WITH 10 HOURS AS PIC AND HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN AN ATR-42 F/O. THE SIC HAD 49 HOURS IN TYPE AND CAME FROM GENERAL AVIATION. SHORT BROTHERS, THE MANUFACUTURER WAS QUERIED AS TO THE EFFECT OF HIGH VELOCITY WIND ON THE AIRPLANE. THEY STATED A WIND OF APPROXIMATELY 70 KTS PERPENDICULAR TO THE FUSELAGE COULD UPSET THE AIRPLANE. THIS INFORMATION WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE PILOTS IN THE FLIGHT MANUAL OR THE OPERATOR. THE COMPANY HAD A CREW PARING POLICY PROHIBITING THE PAIRING OF TWO LOW TIME CREWMEMBERS TOGETHER. THIS WAS WAIVED BY THE VP FLIGHT FOR THE CREW ONLY POSITIONING FLIGHT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_NYC90FA104.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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