NTSB faults pilot for maneuver that injured flight attendant

NEWARK, N.J.—A federal report is faulting a corporate jet pilot for an incident in which a flight attendant broke her leg during a landing at Teterboro Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board found that the pilot engaged in an "excessive maneuver" after being notified of another plane nearby. The plane's sudden movement caused the flight attendant to fall and break her left leg.

In the October 2006 incident, the pilot of the Bombardier jet flying from Dulles International Airport was notified about the other plane while approaching Teterboro.

According to the report released this week, the pilot "yanked the controls" away from the copilot and climbed approximately 700 feet in 16 seconds while banking to the left. During the maneuver, the flight attendant fell and suffered a broken leg. The plane landed safely. No passengers were on board.

The report said the second plane, a Cessna, was within three-quarters of a mile laterally and 100 feet vertically of the Bombardier jet but was not considered on a collision course. The Bombardier pilot did not see the Cessna, according to the report.

The corporate jet pilot failed to follow procedure to establish visual contact with another aircraft before acting to maintain separation, the report concluded.

The incident occurred during the same week that a plane landed on a taxiway at Newark Liberty International Airport and two planes collided while being towed, also at Newark.