NCJ Number
125364
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 57 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1990) Pages: 39-40,43
Date Published
1990
Length
3 pages
Annotation
On January 25, 1990, a Boeing 707 with 158 persons aboard crashed in Nassau County, New York.
Abstract
The plane had run out of fuel and was unable to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport. It came to rest nose up on a steep hill in a sparse residential area after striking a number of trees. Lying broken into sections, parts of the plane had severed power lines and sealed off the single access road to the area. A patrol from the Nassau County Police Department's Second Precinct was first on the scene and radioed for numerous units to assist. The Nassau County Disaster Plan was put into effect; it identifies those to be notified as well as the specific procedures to be followed. Civil defense departments throughout the area responded to the call. News of the crash was broadcast on local television, causing hundreds of people to rush to the scene. The narrow access to the crash site was in danger of being completely choked off by the large number of people converging on the area. Police and firefighters worked feverishly to free the survivors, and a morgue area was established to photograph and tag the bodies of the dead. There were a total of 73 fatalities from the crash and 85 survivors. The crash proved that the department's disaster plan is a viable and valuable tool, albeit in need of some minor changes. The crash also demonstrated the value of the department's Peer Support Group formed to counsel officers involved in traumatic incidents. At a police and fire department critique of the accident held shortly after the incident, both organizations expressed concern over the number of well-intentioned, but unsolicited rescuers whose response to the scene nearly closed access to the area. Although this presented a problem, the response would likely have been appreciated had there been more passengers on the plane.