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miles southeast of Syracuse. He described the overcast as continuous and relatively smooth with some billowing in the Carmel area. At 1645, approximately 30 minutes after the accident, he descended in the area of the Carmel VORTAC and reported that he was just clear of the tops of the clouds at 11,000 feet and in the clouds at 10,000 feet. He also reported the visibility was unrestricted above the overcast.
Statements of crewmembers of other aircraft in the general area of the Carmel VORTAC near the time of the collision indicated that there was a solid overcast whose ragged tops were between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. Visibility was unrestricted above this cloud layer.
Thirteen passengers aboard TW 42 recalled flying on top of a solid cloud layer prior to and at the time of the midair collision. A few of the thirteen recalled puffs of clouds that extended up from the cloud layer and they estimated these to be fifty to a few hundred feet above the layer of clouds. Eleven of the passengers aboard TW 42 stated they were in the clouds at the time of the collision.
A majority of 24 statements from EA 853 passengers indicated the flight was flying over a solid overcast just before the collision. They estimated that their height above this overcast was from 100 to 1,500 feet. A few of the passengers stated they were flying through puffs of clouds just prior to the collision.
1.8 Aids to Navigation
All pertinent NAVAIDS and facility equipment were reported to be operating satisfactorily at the time of the accident.
1.9 Communications
When TW 42 was approx1mate1y 42 miles northwest of the Carmel VORTAC, control was transferred from the New York ARTCC high altitude to the low altitude sector, and the crew was instructed to descend to 11,000 feet and given the JFK altimeter setting of 29.63. TW 42 reported at 11,000 feet at 1617:30 approximately one minute before the collision.
The last altimeter setting given EA 853 was the Bradley Field, Connecticut setting of 29.58 given at 1556. No acknowledgement from EA 853 could be heard on the re-recording of the Boston ARTCC tape.
At 1606:45 a radar handoff of EA 853 was effected between Boston ARTCC and New York ARTCC Sector 8. At 1610:20 EA 853 reported to the New York ARTCC as maintaining 10,000 feet and was radar identified. At 1618 the New York ARTCC controller observed EA 853 passing the Carmel VORTAC and recorded the time of that radar position on the Carmel flight progress strip.
Less than a minute later the crew of TW 42 advised another New York ARTCC controller at the same sector that they had been in a collision with another aircraft. Emergency procedures were initiated and TW 42 was radar vectored for an approach to runway 31L at JFK. A successful landing was accomplished at 1639:43.
