Teterboro New Jersey Learjet Crash Kills Pilots

May 17, 2017
Abram I. Bohrer

Aviation accident attorneys Bohrer & Lukeman are closely monitoring the events surrounding a Learjet crash outside New York City on Monday, May 15. A Learjet 35A twin-jet, tail number N452DA, was en route to Teterboro Airport in the mid-afternoon when it crashed into a commercial warehouse in Carlstadt, New Jersey, killing the pilot and co-pilot. The airport is 12 miles from midtown Manhattan, NYC. The airplane crash lawyers at Bohrer & Lukeman are following the story as it develops.

The Learjet, which had departed from Philadelphia International Airport earlier in the afternoon, was set to land on Runway 1 at Teterboro Airport when it crashed a ¼ mile away, according to the Federal Aviation Association. The time was shortly after 3:30 p.m.

Carlstadt Police responded to the crash to find 3 industrial buildings, over a dozen cars, and several power lines engulfed in flames, just off Kero Road.

The plane “disintegrated”, according to eyewitness Craig Peterson.

“You could see parts of the engine. They moved everybody else back because they started finding more parts of the airplane over by some of the other warehouse areas.”

Firefighters responded to the blaze, which they were able to extinguish after 40 minutes, according to Carlstadt borough spokesman Joe Orlando. There were no casualties on the ground, as the last employee of the affected buildings had locked up 15 minutes prior to the crash.

Wind conditions at the time of the incident were not favorable, with gusts of up to 37 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Wind advisories were in effect, though it is not known at this time whether this is related to the cause of the crash.

According to Carlstadt Deputy Police Chief Thomas Berta, the FAA was on the scene to investigate shortly after the incident, finishing its work late Monday. The National Transportation Safety Board is also onsite and will continue to investigate. The Bergen County medical examiner is working to identify the two pilots lost in the crash.

The Learjet 35A in question was registered to A&C Big Sky Aviation of Billings, Montana. According to FAA records, it was built in 1981. It was also reportedly being chartered to Trans Pacific Jets, an aviation charter company based in Hawaii with offices in Los Angeles.

Since 1977, 53 Learjet 35s have been involved in fatal accidents, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

The aircraft accident lawyers at Bohrer & Lukeman will continue to monitor the events surrounding the Teterboro Airport Learjet crash and will update its website with any new information as it is released.

Bohrer & Lukeman is an airplane crash law firm with years of experience representing those injured or killed in general and commercial aviation accidents. The New York-based aviation law firm’s founder, Abe Bohrer, has successfully represented victims and their families in general and commercial plane crashes both domestically and internationally for over 25 years.