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{{Short description|1990 aviation accident in New York}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| occurrence_type = Accident
| name            = Avianca Flight 052
| date            = January 25, 1990
| image           = CrashAVA052 (cropped).jpg
| caption         = The wreckage of the aircraft on the hillside in [[Cove Neck, New York|Cove Neck]]
| type            = Crashed following [[fuel exhaustion]]
| site            = [[Cove Neck, New York]], United States
| coordinates     = {{coord|40|52|48|N|073|29|43|W|type:event_region:US-NY|display=title,inline}}
| plane1_image    = HK-2016 Boeing 707-321B Avianca Colombia.jpg
| plane1_caption  = HK-2016, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 1983
| occupants       = 158
| passengers      = 149
| crew            = 9
| injuries        = 85
| fatalities      = 73
| survivors       = 85
| aircraft_type   = [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-321B]]
| tail_number     = HK-2016
| callsign        = AVIANCA 052<ref>{{Cite web |title=CVR transcript Avianca Flight 052 – 25 Jan 1990 |url=https://aviation-safety.net/investigation/cvr/transcripts/cvr_av052.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730033840/https://aviation-safety.net/investigation/cvr/transcripts/cvr_av052.php |archive-date=July 30, 2021 |access-date=July 31, 2021 |website=Aviation Safety Network}}</ref>
| origin          = [[El Dorado International Airport]], Bogotá, Colombia
| stopover        = [[José María Córdova International Airport|José María Córdova Int'l Airport]], Medellín, Colombia
| destination     = [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|John F. Kennedy Int'l Airport]], New York City, United States
| aircraft_name   = 
| operator        = [[Avianca]]
| IATA            = AV052
| ICAO            = AVA052
}}
'''Avianca Flight 052''' was a regularly scheduled flight from [[Bogotá]], Colombia, to [[New York City]], United States, via [[Medellín]], Colombia, that crashed on January 25, 1990, at 21:34 ([[UTC−05:00]]). The [[Boeing 707]] flying this route ran out of fuel after a failed attempt to land at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] (JFK), causing the aircraft to crash onto a hillside in the small village of [[Cove Neck, New York]], on the north shore of [[Long Island]]. Eight of the nine crew members and 65 of the 149 passengers on board were killed. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) determined that the crash occurred due to the [[flight crew]] failing to properly declare a [[fuel starvation|fuel emergency]], failure to use an airline operational control dispatch system, inadequate traffic flow management by the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA), and the lack of standardized understandable terminology for pilots and controllers for minimum and emergency fuel states.

The flight left Medellín with more than enough fuel for the journey and progressed toward JFK normally. While en route, the flight was placed in three [[Holding (aeronautics)|holding patterns]]. Due to poor communication between the air crew and the air traffic controllers, as well as an inadequate management of the fuel load by the pilots, the flight became critically low on fuel. This dire situation was not recognized as an emergency by the controllers because of the failure of the pilots to use the word "emergency". The flight attempted to make a landing at JFK, but bad weather, coupled with poor communication and inadequate management of the aircraft, forced it to abort and attempt a [[go-around]]. The flight ran out of fuel before it was able to make a second landing attempt. The airplane crashed about {{convert|20|mi|km}} from JFK. Hundreds of emergency personnel responded to the crash site and helped save victims. Many of those who survived were severely injured and required months or years to physically recover. 

NTSB investigators looked at various factors that contributed to the crash. The failures of the flight crew were cited as the probable cause of the crash, but the weather, air traffic controller performances, and FAA traffic management were also cited as contributing to the events that led to the accident. This conclusion was controversial, with disagreement between investigators, passengers, and [[Avianca]] as to who was ultimately responsible. Eventually, the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]] joined with Avianca and settled to pay for the damages to the victims and their families. The crash has been portrayed in a variety of media.

==Background==
The aircraft involved was a [[Boeing 707#Variants|Boeing 707-321B]], [[Aircraft registration|registration]] HK-2016.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=21}} The aircraft was manufactured in June 1967, and was purchased by Avianca from [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] in 1977. By the time of the crash, the aircraft was 22 years old and had over 61,000 flight hours. The 707 was equipped with four [[Pratt & Whitney JT3D|Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B]] engines modified with a [[hush kit]] to reduce noise pollution.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=21}} Avianca personnel reported that they factored in a 5% fuel overburn into the performance calculations due to the hush kit, along with an additional 5% overburn due to the age of the aircraft.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=22}} Additionally, maintenance crews had noted recurring issues with the aircraft's autopilot, including the altitude hold function. These same issues were reported on the aircraft's penultimate flight, but maintenance was unable to fix the autopilot, and it was disabled as a result.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=66}}

The flight was staffed by a crew of nine, including six [[flight attendant]]s and three [[flight crew]].<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=14}} The flight crew in the cockpit consisted of 51-year-old [[Pilot in command|Captain]] Laureano Caviedes Hoyos, 28-year-old [[first officer (civil aviation)|first officer]] Mauricio Klotz and 45-year-old [[flight engineer]] Matias Moyano.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=14–18}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|The NTSB report does not identify the crew by name, but lists their birth dates and employment information. Initial news reports that identified the crew by name gave incorrect ages for all three flight crewmen.<ref name="Phillips WP 01-27-1990"/> Some news sources give the flight engineer's name as 'Matias Moyano Rojas' and the pilot's name as 'Laureano Caviedes Hoyos' while others omit the final surnames.<ref name="Weiner NYT 01.28.1990" /><ref name="Malnic LAT 06.22.1990"/><ref name="Milton AP 01.31.1990"/>}}<ref name="Milton AP 01.31.1990"/> At the time of the crash, Captain Caviedes had been employed with Avianca for over 27 years and had logged over 16,000 hours of flight time, including over 1,500 in the 707.{{efn|group=lower-alpha|The NTSB report noted that Avianca did not record the instrument time for any of the crewmen.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=14–18}}}}<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=14–18}} Caviedes had 478 hours of night flying experience in the 707 (and 2,435 hours of night flying experience in total) and had no record of any prior accidents. Co-pilot Klotz had been employed with Avianca for three years and had 1,837 hours of flight time, with 408 hours at night. Klotz had transitioned to the 707 the previous October and had logged 64 flight hours in the airframe, including 13 at night.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=14–18}} Flight engineer Moyano had been employed with Avianca for over 23 years and had over 10,000 hours of flight time, including over 3,000 hours in the 707 and over 1,000 hours of night flying in the same airframe (and 2,986 hours of night flying regardless of airframe).<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=14–18}}

All three flight crew members had previous experience in landing at JFK.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{pn|date=June 2025}}

==Accident==
Avianca Flight 052 was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from [[El Dorado International Airport]] in Bogotá, Colombia, to JFK in Queens, New York, with an intermediate stop at [[José María Córdova International Airport]] near Medellín, Colombia.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=1}}

===Departure and flight===
Flight 052 departed Bogotá at 13:10 [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Standard Time]], five minutes ahead of schedule, on January 25, 1990.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{rp|pages=1–2}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|All times shown in the NTSB's final report are in Eastern Standard Time, which is the time zone in which the incident occurred.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=1}}}} The flight landed at  Medellín at 14:04 and prepared to fly the leg to JFK. At Medellín, the aircraft landed with {{convert|67200|lb|kg}} of fuel. The [[flight plan]] filed for the journey to JFK called for {{convert|55520|lb|kg}} of fuel required for the trip to JFK, {{convert|4510|lb|kg}} for reserve fuel, {{convert|7600|lb|kg}} for alternate fuel, {{convert|4800|lb|kg}} for holding fuel, and {{convert|1500|lb|kg}} of taxi fuel totaling {{convert|73930|lb|kg}} minimum of block fuel.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=22–27}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|'Block fuel' is the totality of trip burn fuel, reserve fuel, taxi fuel, and planned and unplanned contingency fuel.<ref name="Sturgell v. Glennon" />}} The dispatcher at Medellín ordered a total fuel load of {{convert|78000|lb|kg}}, including {{convert|4070|lb|kg}} of "top off" fuel to raise the aircraft weight to the maximum allowable for the planned departure runway. At Medellín, the captain and dispatcher decided to use another runway and requested an additional {{convert|2000|lb|kg}} of fuel.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=22–27}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|The NTSB report notes that the flight log recovered at the accident scene recorded the aircraft as carrying {{convert|80000|lb|kg}} of fuel at Medellín. Other documents recorded a fuel gauge sum of {{convert|82000|lb|kg}}.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=22–27}}}}

The flight departed Medellín at 15:08, bound for JFK.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=1–2}} The flight first entered U.S. airspace of [[Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center]] at 17:28, flying at {{convert|35000|ft|m|sigfig=3}}, and proceeded northward, climbing to {{convert|37000|ft|m|sigfig=3}}.{{efn|group=lower-alpha|The flight was cleared to climb in the vicinity of the URSUS [[Intersection (aeronautics)|intersection]] around {{coord|24|00|N|79|4|W}}, and was already at {{convert|37000|ft|m|sigfig=3}} by the time the aircraft crossed the ADOOR intersection at approximately {{coord|29|24|N|78|33|W}}.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=1–2}}<ref name="FAA Location Identifiers - U" /><ref name="FAA Location Identifiers - A" />}} The flight was cleared to fly Atlantic route 7 to the DIXON navigational aid{{efn|group=lower-alpha|DIXON is located at {{coord|34|34|7|N|77|27|11|W}}.<ref name="FAA IFR EHUS9" />}} and jet airway 174 to [[Norfolk, Virginia]]. Flight 052 entered its first [[Holding (aeronautics)|holding pattern]] over Norfolk at 19:04 and remained circling until 19:23. From there, Flight 052 continued on to the BOTON intersection near [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]], where it was placed in a second holding pattern from 19:43 to 20:12.{{efn|group=lower-alpha|BOTON is located near {{coord|39|24|52|N|74|27|17|W}}.<ref name="FAA Location Identifiers - B" />}} The flight proceeded to the CAMRN intersection where it entered its third holding pattern from 20:18 to 20:47.{{efn|group=lower-alpha|CAMRN is located around {{coord|40|01|02|N|73|51|40|W}}.<ref name="FAA Location Identifiers - C" />}}<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{rp|pages=1–2}} Flight 052 entered the CAMRN holding pattern at {{convert|14000|ft|m}}, having been cleared to descend prior to arrival at the intersection, and the flight descended further to {{convert|11,000|ft|m}} while in the CAMRN holding pattern. At 20:44:09, while still holding at CAMRN, the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZNY) advised Flight 052 that there was an "indefinite hold" and to continue holding at CAMRN.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=177}} At 20:44:43, the ZNY controller told the flight to "expect further clearance" at 21:05.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=177}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|"Expect further clearance" (EFC) is an air traffic control command used, in part, to communicate a [[Instrument flight rules#Separation and clearance|clearance limit]] or to announce additional holding delays.<ref name="FAA 2014"/>}} The flight had previously been given two delay estimates that had passed.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=1–2}}

At that point, First Officer Klotz radioed the controller, saying, "ah well I think we need priority we're passing [unintelligible]".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=1–2}} The controller inquired as to how long the flight could hold, as well as what their alternative airport was. Klotz replied at 20:46:03 that they could hold for five more minutes.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=4}} The controller once again inquired as to their alternative airport and Klotz replied at 20:46:24, "It was Boston, but we can't do it now we, we, don't, we run out of fuel now."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=4}} A handoff controller listening in on the conversation called the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (NY [[TRACON]]) at 20:46:24 and advised the TRACON controller that Avianca Flight 052 could only hold for five more minutes.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=4}} The handoff controller asked whether NY TRACON could take the flight or whether to send Avianca to its alternative airport.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=6}} The NY TRACON controller replied, "Slow him to one eight zero knots and I'll take him."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=6}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|{{convert|180|kn|mph km/h}}}} The handoff controller later testified that he had not heard Flight 052 say that they could no longer reach their alternative airport. At 20:46:47, the NY ARTCC radar controller cleared the flight to proceed to JFK at {{convert|11000|ft|m}} and to slow to {{convert|180|kn|mph km/h}}. Flight 052 departed the CAMRN holding pattern at 20:47.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=6}}

===Landing attempt===
[[File:AviancaFinalFlightpathMap.png|thumb|upright=0.9|Final flight path and significant events leading up to the crash]]
At 20:47:27, the NY TRACON feeder controller told the flight crew to "expect an [[Instrument landing system|ILS]] two two left"{{efn|group=lower-alpha|Avianca Flight 052 would be following [[instrument flight rules]] for landing. 'Two two left' is JFK runway 22L.}} "altimeter two niner six niner proceed direct Deer Park".{{efn|group=lower-alpha|Deer Park (DPK) is a navigational aid located approximately at {{coord|40|47|30|N|73|18|13|W}}.<ref name="FAA IFR EHUS12"/>}} At 20:54:40, the feeder controller directed Flight 052 to make a 360° turn. At 20:56:16, the controller gave the flight a [[wind shear]] advisory of an "increase of 10 knots at 1500 feet and then an increase of 10 knots at 500 feet".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=6}} The flight crew acknowledged the advisory. At 21:00, JFK was experiencing light drizzle and fog with {{frac|4}} mile visibility, an indefinite [[ceiling (cloud)|ceiling]] with {{convert|200|ft|m}} obscured, and a wind of {{convert|21|kn|mph km/h}} at 190°.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=29}}

At 21:03:07, Flight 052 contacted the NY TRACON final controller, who cleared them to descend progressively to {{convert|2000|ft|m}}.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=7}} At 21:03:46, the flight crew discussed the [[go-around]] procedures. At 21:09:29, flight engineer Moyano stated that the controllers "already know that we are in [a] bad condition".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=7}} The captain said, "No they are descending us", and the second officer added, "They are giving us priority".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=7}} At 21:11:07, the NY TRACON final vector controller informed the flight that they were 15 miles from the [[marker beacon#Outer marker|outer marker]] and instructed them to maintain an altitude of {{convert|2000|ft|m}} "until established on the [[localizer]]".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=7}} The flight crew began preparing for an instrument landing approach, extending [[flap (aeronautics)|flaps]] and discussing the appropriate airspeed. The final controller instructed the flight crew to contact the JFK tower controllers and signed off. Klotz acknowledged the transmission.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=7}}

At 21:15:19, Klotz contacted the tower controllers and informed that Flight 052 was "established two two left".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=9}} One minute later, the captain asked if he should lower the landing gear, but the first officer replied, "No I think it's too early now."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=9}} At 21:17:30, JFK tower asked Flight 052 to increase their airspeed by 10 knots to {{convert|150|kn|mph km/h}}. At 21:18:11, the flight was {{convert|3|mi|km}} from the outer marker. Twenty-one seconds later, the first officer remarked "glideslope alive".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=9}} At 21:19:09, the captain requested the landing gear be deployed.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=9}} Almost a minute later, the JFK tower cleared the flight to land on runway 22L. The captain asked the first officer to confirm that the flight was cleared to land. At 21:20:28, the first officer began informing the captain that the aircraft was below the glideslope. At 21:22:07, Flight 052 descended to {{convert|1000|ft|m}}. The aircraft began descending beyond the angle of the glideslope, then began climbing above it, followed by a steeper descent. At 21:22:57, the first officer commented, "This is the wind shear."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=10–11}} The first officer warned the captain about the [[sink rate]] and noted an altitude of {{convert|500|ft|m}} at 21:23:10. As he warned the captain, the [[ground proximity warning system]] (GPWS) began 11 "whoop, whoop, pull up" audible warnings. At 21:23:13, the captain called for lights, followed by questions as to where the runway was a few seconds later. The GPWS began four "glideslope" audible warnings a few seconds later, alerting the flight crew that the aircraft was below the glideslope. In response to the captain's inquiries, the first officer replied that he did not see the runway.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=10–11}} At 21:23:23, the flight began climbing again, having come within {{convert|250|ft|m}} of crashing 2 miles short of the runway. The landing gear was raised, and the first officer announced that the flight was executing a [[missed approach]].<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=10–11}}

===Crash===
[[File:Avianca-Crash-Profile.svg|thumb|Descent profile of the flight up to impact]]
The JFK tower controller asked the flight to climb to {{convert|2000|ft|m}} and make a left turn. At 21:24:06, the captain asked the first officer to "tell them we are in [an] emergency".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=10–11}} The first officer told the JFK tower controller that "we'll try once again[;] we're running out of fuel", to which the controller replied, "okay".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=10–11}} A few seconds later, the captain again told the first officer to "advise him we are [in an] emergency" and asked if he did so. The first officer replied, "Yes sir, I already advised him."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=10–11}} The JFK controller directed the flight to contact the NY TRACON approach controller once more at 21:24:39.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=12}} The TRACON controller asked the flight to climb once more to {{convert|3000|ft|m}}. The captain asked the first officer again to "advise him we don't have fuel".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=12}} The first officer replied, "Climb and maintain three thousand and ah we're running out of fuel sir."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=12}} The captain once again asked whether the first officer had advised the controller of their emergency, and the first officer replied, "Yes sir. I already advise him[;] hundred and eighty on the heading[;] we are going to maintain 3000 feet and he's going to get us back."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=12}}

A minute later, the controller instructed the flight to turn to the northeast and asked the flight crew if they had enough fuel to be directed {{convert|15|mi|km}} from the airport. First Officer Klotz replied, "I guess so thank you very much."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=12}} At 21:29:11, Klotz asked the controller if he "can give us [[Final approach (aeronautics)|a final]] now...?"<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=12}} The controller said, "affirmative sir[;] turn left heading zero four zero".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|12}} At 21:30:12, the controller cleared another aircraft for landing.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=235}} Klotz briefly thought the clearance was directed at Avianca and began to tell Captain Caviedes to change course before the controller corrected him. The controller then asked Avianca to climb to {{convert|3000|ft|m}}. Klotz replied, "negative sir we just running out of fuel we okay three thousand now okay".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=12}} The controller continued to direct the flight northward, away from the airport. At 21:31:01, the controller said, "Okay and you're number two for the approach[;] I just have to give you enough room so you make it without ah having to come out again."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=12}}

[[File:Avianca52SeatMap.svg|thumb|Locations of passengers indicated by severity/lack of injury from the NTSB report]]
At 21:32:38, the [[cockpit voice recorder]] (CVR) recorded a temporary interruption in power. A second later, Flight Engineer Moyano exclaimed, "[[Flame out]][;] flame out on engine number four."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=5}} The CVR recorded another interruption in power one second after that, and Moyano said, "Flame out on engine number three[;] essential on number two or number one."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=5}} The captain acknowledged. At 21:32:49, Klotz radioed the controller, informing him that the flight had "just ah lost two engines[,] and&nbsp;... we need priority please".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=5}} The controller instructed the flight to fly southwest to intercept the localizer.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{rp|page=5}} Klotz acknowledged this. The flight crew selected the ILS. At 21:33:04, the controller informed the flight that they were {{convert|15|mi|km}} from the outer marker and cleared them for an ILS approach on runway 22L. Klotz acknowledged. That was the final radio transmission from Flight 052. Caviedes asked if the ILS had been selected. Klotz replied, "It is ready on two" at 21:33:23. One second later, the CVR stopped recording.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=13}} At 21:34:00, the controller tried to radio the flight, asking, "You have enough fuel to make it to the airport?"<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=13}} There was no response.

The NTSB report estimates that around this time, the flight crashed.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=13}} The aircraft descended without power, clipped several trees and posts, and crashed onto a hill with a 24° slope in Cove Neck, New York.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=33}} The fuselage partially fragmented into three distinct pieces. The cockpit and forward cabin separated from the rest of the airframe and were hurled over the crest of the hill, coming to a stop {{convert|90|ft|m}} from the rest of the wreckage. The rest of the fuselage stopped within {{convert|25|ft|m}} after impact. The main fuselage came to rest on the upslope of the hill, facing south, with the forward end extending over the crest of the hill. The right side of the forward end of the fuselage fractured a residential wooden deck.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=14, 33}}

==Recovery==
[[File:Avianca52-wreckage2.jpg|thumb|The cockpit and forward galley fragment at the crash site with the rest of the fuselage in the background]]

===First response===
Residents of Cove Neck immediately called emergency services.<ref name="Winerip NYT 01.27.1990"/> Jeff Race, a paramedic and member of New York City's Emergency Medical Service, who lived half a mile from the crash site, was the first rescuer on site.<ref name="McFadden NYT 01.27.1990"/> He reported that most passengers were still strapped in their seats and the survivors were crying out for help. Survivors later commented that it took about half an hour for rescue teams to arrive. Initial reports to emergency services reported that a much larger [[Boeing 747]] had crashed.<ref name="Saslow NYT 10.07.1990"/> Fire Chief Thomas Reardon of Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1 was in charge of the initial effort to remove people from the wreckage. In his first call to the Nassau County Fire Commission dispatch, he requested all the help available. Thirty-seven fire and ambulance companies, as well as more than 700 [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]] police officers arrived to help. Other companies that were not called showed up voluntarily to assist. The swell of support created major problems for extricating survivors.<ref name="Saslow NYT 10.07.1990"/>

The crash was only accessible to vehicles via a single residential street.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=39}} With the surge of rescue personnel who converged on the area, the roads leading to the site soon became choked with traffic. Emergency vehicle drivers abandoned their vehicles contrary to established policy in the course of the rescue efforts.<ref name="Saslow NYT 10.07.1990"/> This prevented other vehicles from being able to access the crash area. The road was so impassable, many rescue workers left their vehicles miles away and made it to the scene on foot.<ref name="Schmitt NYT 01.27.1990"/> Fog also grounded rescue helicopters for two hours. As a result, many critically injured survivors were not evacuated until 23:30. Eventually, four helicopters from the [[NYPD Aviation|New York City Police Aviation Unit]] evacuated 21 people from the crash site. Also, major problems occurred with communication by rescuers. Radio frequencies became overloaded, and authorities on site were unable to make command decisions in some cases. The head of surgery of the [[Nassau University Medical Center|Nassau County Medical Center]] was present at the scene, but unable to direct patients to the best locations because many rescuers were radioing the center itself to get advice on where they should send the survivors. Medical professionals on site reported that some hospitals received the most up-to-date information by watching the news coverage. Three of the passengers found alive died of their injuries.<ref name="Saslow NYT 10.07.1990"/>
[[File:Avianca-Flight-52-Wreckage-1.jpg|thumb|left|Wreckage of the aircraft from another view]]

Rescue workers set up two [[triage]] areas on the lawn of John and Kay McEnroe, the parents of professional tennis player [[John McEnroe]], at 13 Tennis Court Road. A [[morgue]] and command post were also set up on their property, which was {{convert|500|ft|m}} from the crash site.<ref name="Saslow NYT 10.07.1990"/><ref name="Winerip NYT 01.27.1990"/> At least six bodies were found outside the fuselage.<ref name="McQuiston NYT 01.26.1990"/> Firefighters and medics erected ladders next to the airframe wreckage and led passengers down on stretchers and to the triage sites. At these sites, doctors tagged the critically injured patients for immediate evacuation. At least 30 bodies were gathered on the makeshift morgue at the McEnroe property by 03:00 the following morning.<ref name="Winerip NYT 01.27.1990"/> Passenger Astrid Lopez was initially believed to be dead due to her severe injuries, and officials placed her body in the morgue.<ref name="Saslow NYT 05.06.1990"/> A rescuer soon heard her moans, and she was sent to a hospital. Some medical responders were turned away from the scene by police to help ease the congestion. By 03:30, all the survivors had been evacuated to hospitals. At least one emergency responder was hospitalized as a result of the rescue efforts.<ref name="Schmitt NYT 01.27.1990"/> Many local New York residents showed up at hospitals with food or blankets, or to volunteer as Spanish interpreters.<ref name="Schmitt NYT 02.12.1990" /> The [[New York Blood Center]] reported collecting 2,000 units of blood, almost triple their goal.<ref name="Saslow NYT 02.04.1990"/>

===Casualties===
[[File:Avianca52-wreckage5.jpg|thumb|The aircraft crashed in front of the house of Sam Tissenbaum.<ref name="McFadden NYT 01.27.1990"/>]]
Of the 158 people on board, 73 died as a result of the crash.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{rp|page=71}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dulchavsky |first1=S. A. |last2=Geller |first2=E. R. |last3=Iorio |first3=D. A. |date=February 1993 |title=Analysis of injuries following the crash of Avianca Flight 52 |journal=The Journal of Trauma |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=282–284 |doi=10.1097/00005373-199302000-00019 |issn=0022-5282 |pmid=8459471}}</ref> The lead flight attendant was the only crew member to survive, while the remaining flight attendants and all three flight crew members died.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=14}} Of the surviving passengers, 72 adults and children over three years old sustained serious injuries, while two sustained minor injuries.{{efn|group=lower-alpha|Serious injury was defined by NTSB regulation as an injury which "requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days from the date of the injury was received;&nbsp;...&nbsp;results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose);&nbsp;...&nbsp;causes severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle, or tendon damage;&nbsp;...&nbsp;involves any internal organ; or&nbsp;...&nbsp;involves second- or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5% of the body surface."<ref name="Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 830.2" />}} Of the 11 infants, two sustained minor injuries, eight were seriously injured, and one died.<ref name="NYT Staff 01.28.1990"/><ref name="Navarro 06.25.1990"/> The surviving flight attendant testified that no communication was made from the cockpit as to the unfolding situation, thus no warning came in the end to assume [[brace position]]s. The NTSB report held that, had passengers been warned ahead of time to brace for impact, the severity of some injuries might have been avoided.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=71}}

The most common serious injuries were multiple lower [[leg fracture]]s and dislocations, [[spinal fracture]]s, [[hip fracture]]s, head injuries, and multiple [[laceration]]s and [[contusion]]s.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=71}} The NTSB investigators found severe damage on the floor of the cabin, leading many of the passengers' seats to fracture where their legs met the floor track.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=39}} This fracturing permitted many of the seats to come loose during the impact and aggravated the passengers' injuries. The report posits that the passengers' legs hit the lower seat frames in front of them.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=71}} At the same time, the seats collapsed and twisted downward and to the left, likely causing hip and spinal fractures. As the impact progressed, the seats, now separated, flung passengers forward into each other and into other wreckage, causing head injuries and lacerations. Passengers holding onto infants reported being unable to either prevent their children from being ejected from their grasp in the impact or locate their children in the darkness afterward. The NTSB held that, had the children been in FAA-approved child seats, many injuries might have been mitigated.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=71}} Rescuers remarked that one rescued baby was found smiling.<ref name="Saslow NYT 02.04.1990"/> The NTSB was unable to accurately chart where individual passengers were seated because Avianca only assigned seats to a few passengers, and many who were assigned reported moving after takeoff.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=71}}

The cockpit was severely damaged in the impact. It struck an oak tree, which penetrated the area occupied by Klotz and Moyano. All the seats occupied by the flight crew were found outside the cockpit. Neither of the pilots' seats had shoulder straps as were required by United States domestic passenger flights.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=39}} At least one flight crew member was airlifted to Nassau County Medical Center.<ref name="McQuiston NYT 01.26.1990"/> The NTSB report states that all of the flight crew "died from blunt-force head and upper torso trauma."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=72}} Five flight attendants also died from blunt-force trauma to the limbs, abdomen, chest, and head.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=72}}

==Investigation==
[[File:Avianca52-seat-wreckage.jpg|thumb|The structural limitations of the aircraft seats contributed to the passengers' injuries.]]
The NTSB commenced an investigation, which began shortly after the crash, and concluded with the issuance of its final report on April 30, 1991.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" /> Because it involved a Colombian airline, Colombia's [[Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics#History|Departamento Administrativo de Aeronáutica Civil]] (DAAC) also conducted an investigation into the accident.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=282}}

A survey of the wreckage revealed that the tail was mostly intact, and all control surfaces were connected to the pilots' controls.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=33}} Both wings had been severely damaged on impact and fractured into several pieces. The flaps and [[Leading-edge slats|slats]] were found in their extended positions, with the flaps set at 14°. As with the tail, all wing control surfaces were found to have been connected to the pilots' controls. No evidence was found of any control surface failure prior to the crash. Investigators realized that none of the four engines had been under power at the time of impact.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=38}} As the first responders worked to rescue the passengers, investigators recovered the [[flight data recorder]] (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the wreckage, and brought them to the NTSB laboratory in [[Washington, DC]].<ref name="McFadden NYT 01.27.1990"/><ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=33}} The FDR was an older [[oscillograph]]ic foil model.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=59}} In 1989, the FAA began requiring domestic carriers to change to digital FDRs to minimize the errors that foil models produced. This requirement did not apply to international carriers. The Avianca FDR foil was found to have been taped down at some point prior to the flight, and thus was inoperative. The NTSB recommended in the Avianca report that the FAA take an "active role in ensuring upgraded international standards" for flight recorders.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=60}} The CVR and ATC recordings became vital sources of evidence for the crash. The investigators also looked at meteorological factors that led to flight problems.

The NTSB investigators found that the weather data which the flight crew received in Medellín were 9–10 hours old.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=52}} Additionally, the alternate airport on the flight plan, [[Logan International Airport]] in Boston, was forecast to be below the minimum for safe landing. The NTSB also stated that the flight crew should have been more aware of these problems and cited these deficiencies as evidence of inadequacies in the dispatch of the airplane. The NTSB also found no evidence that the flight crew ever requested weather information en route or communicated with Avianca [[flight dispatcher|dispatchers]] about their fuel status and intents as other flights did.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=52}} Flight 052 did not make contact with FAA [[flight service station]]s or [[flight watch]] en route, and the NTSB was unable to determine why. The flight did not express any concern to ATC about their fuel situation during the first two holding patterns that the flight made. The first indication of worry came at 20:09 when the flight crew inquired about delays at Boston.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=55}} The NTSB posited that the flight crew might have become confused about the "expect further clearance" (EFC) times they were given. This confusion may have been the reason that the flight continued to hold, burning up its reserve fuel to the point where it could no longer divert to Boston.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=55}}

Investigators also cited the flight engineer for failing to calculate the "minimum approach/landing fuel quantity."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=56}}{{efn|group=lower-alpha|The NTSB report defines this as "the fuel quantity that the captain would want on board as he commenced the first approach."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=56}}}} The report references the 360° turn that the flight was ordered to make at 20:54 as evidence that the crew should have known that they were being treated routinely and ''not'' given any emergency priority. Instead, the CVR revealed that the flight crew was convinced that they were being given priority. Additionally, the NTSB criticized the first officer for failing to use the word "emergency" as the captain had insisted he do.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=57}} Compounded with the apparent inability of the captain to hear or understand the radio communications, the NTSB called the situation a "total breakdown in communications by the flight crew."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=58}} Summarizing, the investigators cited "the flight crew's failure to notify ATC of their fuel situation while holding at CAMRN in order to ensure arrival at the approach fix with an adequate approach minimum fuel level and a breakdown in communications between the flight crew and ATC, and among the flight crewmembers" as the two main factors that led to the crash.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=58}}

Investigators asserted that the performances by the traffic controllers were proper and that the misunderstandings that were made were reasonable.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=60}} None of the controllers involved considered the word "priority" or the assertions by the flight crew that they were running out of fuel to be indicative of an emergency. The report provided various examples of the flight crew failing to convey the danger of their situation, even moments before the engines flamed out. Although the investigators felt that the communications from the ATC personnel were "proper," the NTSB voiced concern over the controllers ''not'' placing significance on the word "priority."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=62}} At a public hearing, it was revealed by an unrelated pilot that the emphasis on the word "priority" by the Avianca crew might have come from training and bulletins from Boeing that used the word in relation to fuel emergencies.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=63}} Avianca also used the word "priority" in its publications on low-fuel status procedures. ATC controllers testified that "[[Mayday]]", "[[pan-pan]]", and "emergency" were the three phrases that they would respond to immediately.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=63}} The report also stated that "priority" was defined in the ATC Handbook as "precedence, established by order of urgency or importance."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=63}} As a result of this linguistic confusion, the NTSB recommended that the FAA work with the [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] to develop a standard glossary of clearly defined terms, as well as notify foreign carriers that they must be knowledgeable of ATC rules and procedures.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=63}}

The NTSB also cited the captain's inability to land on his first attempt as contributing to the crash.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=66}} The investigation revealed that wind shear was a significant factor in the failed approach, but that other factors probably contributed. The report cited recurring maintenance problems with the airplane's [[autopilot]] as a possible factor. Since the pilots had been forced to fly manually from Medellín, investigators believed this might have added to exhaustion and stress in the cockpit. For evidence, the NTSB pointed to nine instances where the captain asked the copilot to repeat the ATC instructions or to confirm the aircraft configuration. This stress, investigators asserted, would have degraded the flight crew's performance on final approach.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=67}} Investigators also looked at the traffic management by the Central Flow Control Facility (CFCF).<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=68}} The CFCF, in communication with NY TRACON, established an airport acceptance rate of 28 aircraft landings per hour that morning. Later, a CFCF supervisor contacted NY TRACON and requested a higher rate of 33 landings per hour. This acceptance rate, investigators concluded, was based on inaccurate weather conditions. The report concluded that these traffic-management problems contributed to the conditions that led to the accident but did not lead directly to the accident.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=68–71}}

===Controversy===
The probable cause of the crash was determined by the NTSB to be "the failure of the flight crew to adequately manage the airplane's fuel load, and their failure to communicate an emergency fuel situation to air traffic control before fuel exhaustion occurred."<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=76}}  However, two NTSB members filed dissenting opinions in the report. Jim Burnett voted against the adoption of the report because he felt it did not adequately address the failures of the air traffic controllers or the FAA's role in allowing more traffic than JFK could handle.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=78–79}} Christopher Hart filed a partial dissent because he disagreed with the report's findings of a lack of standardized terminology. In his dissent, he wrote that "we do have standardized understandable terminology&nbsp;...&nbsp;that
would have adequately communicated the existence of a dangerous situation, and the problem was that the pilots failed to use this terminology with the controllers".<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|pages=78–79}}

Colombia's DAAC investigators also disagreed with some of the NTSB's findings. In a comment on a draft of the NTSB's report, the DAAC recommended that the NTSB place some responsibility on the controllers for their "inadequate handling" of the Avianca flight.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=282}} The DAAC also recommended that the NTSB encourage modifying the EFC system, and that FAA regulations should require an "active flight-following system" to assist flight crews in evaluating weather and traffic delays.<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report" />{{Reference page|page=283}}

==Aftermath==
Two male passengers were arrested at [[North Shore University Hospital|North Shore Hospital]] after a nurse informed police that 46-year-old Antonio Zuluaga had [[mule (smuggling)#Swallowing|swallowed containers filled with cocaine]]. Zuluaga, who had a fractured spine, broken ribs, and a dislocated hip, was the second passenger to be found in possession of cocaine packages, after doctors operating on Jose Figueroa on the day after the crash to stop internal bleeding had also discovered packets of cocaine. Zuluaga and Figueroa pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal [[drug possession|possession of a controlled substance]]. Figueroa was sentenced to seven years to life in prison, and Zuluaga was sentenced to six years to life.<ref name="Associated Press 03.08.1990"/><ref name="Associated Press 04.04.1991"/><ref name="NYT 01.31.1990"/>

Many crash survivors suffered long recoveries from the physical and psychological traumas they endured.<ref name="Navarro 06.25.1990"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Maag |first1=Christopher |title=The Plane Crash Should Have Killed Her. Sometimes She Wishes It Had. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/nyregion/avianca-plane-crash-survivor-long-island.html |work=The New York Times |date=January 27, 2025 |access-date=27 January 2025}}</ref> A month after the crash, an orderly caravan of around 1,000 vehicles drove to JFK while some demonstrators laid wreaths in the international terminal lobby to protest the handling of the flight.<ref name="DeParle NYT 02.26.1990"/> Some survivors sued the FAA, accusing the agency of failing to ensure the flight's safety.<ref name="Cushman NYT 06.21.1990"/> In July 1990, Avianca offered $75,000 to each crash survivor or the relatives of those killed.<ref name="Lubasch NYT 07.28.1990"/> The U.S. government eventually joined Avianca and reached a settlement estimated at over $200&nbsp;million in damages to the victims.<ref name="Lueck NYT 11.17.1992"/>

The same summer, Avianca flights declared two notable fuel emergencies. The first happened in June, when a flight declared a "minimum fuel situation" and landed with only 10 minutes' worth of fuel left.<ref name="Weiner NYT 08.02.1990"/> The second happened in August, when Avianca Flight 020 declared it had "only 15 minutes of fuel left".<ref name="Weiner NYT 08.02.1990"/> Confusion arose as to what the pilot meant, but controllers declared an emergency pre-emptively and cleared the plane to land immediately. The flight was later found to have had over two hours' worth of fuel remaining.<ref name="Weiner NYT 08.04.1990"/>

As of 2025, Avianca has not retired the flight number. Avianca Flight 052 is now a flight from Lima to Bogotá. However, Avianca has changed the numbers for the now non-stop flights from El Dorado to JFK, designated as Avianca Flight AV210, AV244 and Flight AV020 respectively while the airline continues to operate the Medellin to JFK nonstop sector as AV042 and AV144. All of these flights were now operated by the [[Airbus A320]] and the 707 has since been retired.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In 2025, Christopher Maag of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that "Flight 52 has largely faded from the public memory."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Maag|first=Christopher|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/nyregion/avianca-plane-crash-survivor-long-island.html|title=The Plane Crash Should Have Killed Her. Sometimes She Wishes It Had.|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=2025-01-27|access-date=2025-04-25}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* The events of Flight 052 were featured in "Missing over New York", a [[List of Mayday episodes#Season 2 (2005)|season-two (2005)]] episode of the Canadian TV series ''[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]''<ref name="Mayday Missing Over New York"/> (called ''Air Emergency'' and ''Air Disasters'' in the U.S. and ''Air Crash Investigation'' in the UK and elsewhere around the world). The dramatization was broadcast with the title "Deadly Delay" in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Asia. The flight was also included in a ''Mayday'' [[List of Mayday episodes#Season 8 (2009) Special|season-eight (2009) ''Science of Disaster'' special]] titled "System Breakdown",<ref>{{Cite episode|title=System Breakdown|series=[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]|network=[[Discovery Channel Canada]] / [[National Geographic Channel]]|season=8|number=1|year=2009}}</ref> which looked at the role of air traffic controllers in aviation disasters.
* Avianca Flight 052 was featured on the [[MSNBC]] network's ''[[Why Planes Crash]]'' series, in an episode titled "Human Error".<ref name="MSNBC Human Error" />
* The impact of cultural differences between the Colombian pilots and American air traffic controllers was discussed in [[Malcolm Gladwell]]'s book ''[[Outliers (book)|Outliers]]''.<ref name="Kakutani NYT 11.17.2008"/>
* [[Stock footage]] of the plane wreckage was used in the 2004 film ''[[The Day After Tomorrow]]''.<ref name="The Day After Tomorrow"/>
* Survivor Nestor Zarate wrote a book about the flight, titled ''20 minutos antes... 20 años después (20 Minutes Before... 20 Years Later)''.<ref name="Feeny Gaskell NYDN 01.24.2010"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Colombia|New York (state)|Aviation|1990s}}
*[[Impact of culture on aviation safety]]
*[[United Airlines Flight 173]]
*[[LaMia Flight 2933]]
*[[1977 Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crash]]
*[[List of airline flights that required gliding]]
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="AAR-91-04 Final Report">{{cite book |title=Aircraft Accident Report, Avianca, The Airline of Columbia, Boeing 707-321B, HK 2016, Fuel Exhaustion, Cove Neck, New York, January 25, 1990 |access-date=January 15, 2016 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]] |date=April 30, 1991 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9104.pdf |id=NTSB/AAR-91/04 |archive-date=November 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129030647/http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9104.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Phillips WP 01-27-1990">{{cite news |title=Colombian Airliner May Have Run Out of Fuel |last=Phillips |first=Don |date=January 27, 1990 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|page=A01}}</ref>
<ref name="Weiner NYT 01.28.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/28/nyregion/crash-flight-52-pilots-say-fuel-gauges-707-s-often-provide-inaccurate-readings.html|title=THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 52; Pilots Say Fuel Gauges on 707's Often Provide Inaccurate Readings|last=Weiner|first=Eric|date=January 28, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=January 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130114454/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/28/nyregion/crash-flight-52-pilots-say-fuel-gauges-707-s-often-provide-inaccurate-readings.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Malnic LAT 06.22.1990">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-22-mn-109-story.html |title=Avianca Pilot Disputes Need to Use Specific Emergency Terms |last=Malnic |first=Eric |date=June 22, 1990 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=February 25, 2015 |archive-date=March 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301012904/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-22-mn-109-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="FAA 2014">{{cite book |title=Order JO 7110.65V |url=http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/ATC/atc0406.html |date=April 3, 2014 |publisher=[[Federal Aviation Administration]] |at=ch.4, sec. 6, subsec. 1 "Clearance to Holding Fix", line "c" |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503054041/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/ATC/atc0406.html |archive-date=May 3, 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Winerip NYT 01.27.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/27/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-no-warning-from-cockpit-survivors-from-flight-52-say.html|title=THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 52; No Warning From Cockpit, Survivors From Flight 52 Say|last=Winerip|first=Michael|date=January 27, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 2, 2015|archive-date=May 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525203142/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/27/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-no-warning-from-cockpit-survivors-from-flight-52-say.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="McFadden NYT 01.27.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/27/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-toll-at-72-in-li-air-crash-89-survive.html?pagewanted=all|title=THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 52; Toll at 72 in L.I. Air Crash; 89 Survive|last=McFadden|first=Robert|date=January 27, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 2, 2015|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306133341/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/27/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-toll-at-72-in-li-air-crash-89-survive.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Saslow NYT 02.04.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/04/nyregion/at-the-crash-scene-disbelief-disarray-then-cooperation.html?pagewanted=all|title=At the Crash Scene, Disbelief, Disarray, Then Cooperation|last=Saslow|first=Linda|date=February 4, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 3, 2015|archive-date=April 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403025430/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/04/nyregion/at-the-crash-scene-disbelief-disarray-then-cooperation.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Saslow NYT 05.06.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/06/nyregion/survivors-of-crash-fight-to-regain-normal-lives.html?pagewanted=all|title=Survivors Of Crash Fight To Regain Normal Lives|last=Saslow|first=Linda|date=May 6, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 4, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104912/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/06/nyregion/survivors-of-crash-fight-to-regain-normal-lives.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Saslow NYT 10.07.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/07/nyregion/avianca-crash-leaves-questions-on-response.html?pagewanted=all|title=Avianca Crash Leaves Questions on Response|last=Saslow|first=Linda|date=October 7, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 2, 2015|archive-date=January 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130120701/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/07/nyregion/avianca-crash-leaves-questions-on-response.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="NYT Staff 01.28.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/28/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-partial-list-of-those-who-died.html|title=THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 52; Partial List of Those Who Died|date=January 28, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 3, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402193639/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/28/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-partial-list-of-those-who-died.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Schmitt NYT 01.27.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/27/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-fog-on-a-narrow-road-rescue-was-an-ordeal.html|title=THE CRASH OF FLIGHT 52; Fog on a Narrow Road: Rescue Was an Ordeal|last=Schmitt|first=Eric|date=January 27, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 2, 2015|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402122616/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/27/nyregion/the-crash-of-flight-52-fog-on-a-narrow-road-rescue-was-an-ordeal.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Schmitt NYT 02.12.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/12/nyregion/faulty-communication-hindered-flight-52-rescue-a-report-says.html|title=Faulty Communication Hindered Flight 52 Rescue, a Report Says|last=Schmitt|first=Eric|date=February 12, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 3, 2015|archive-date=April 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403180004/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/12/nyregion/faulty-communication-hindered-flight-52-rescue-a-report-says.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Milton AP 01.31.1990">{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/c659a2d63ba0bd7a5445309d1b711b90|title=Avianca Pilot Mourned While Investigators Leave NY|last=Milton|first=Pat|date=January 31, 1990|work=Associated Press News|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=May 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522134727/https://apnews.com/c659a2d63ba0bd7a5445309d1b711b90|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Navarro 06.25.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/25/nyregion/for-some-no-escape-from-li-jet-crash.html?pagewanted=all|title=For Some, No Escape From L.I. Jet Crash|last=Navarro|first=Mireya|date=June 25, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402235753/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/25/nyregion/for-some-no-escape-from-li-jet-crash.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="McQuiston NYT 01.26.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/26/nyregion/plane-crashes-li-with-149-aboard-least-9-killed-boeing-707-colombia.html?pagewanted=all|title=Plane Crashes on L.I. With 149 Aboard; At Least 9 Killed on a Boeing 707 From Colombia|last=McQuiston|first=John|date=January 26, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307022946/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/26/nyregion/plane-crashes-li-with-149-aboard-least-9-killed-boeing-707-colombia.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Associated Press 03.08.1990">{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/aa8ad33eecf2385193356bee89806ff9|title=Passenger in Avianca Crash Indicted on Drug Charge|date=March 8, 1990|work=Associated Press News|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=May 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522140336/https://apnews.com/aa8ad33eecf2385193356bee89806ff9|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Associated Press 04.04.1991">{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/e2444c08177109ec148772fa547e47e9|title=Avianca Drug Courier Sentenced|date=April 4, 1991|work=Associated Press News|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107224334/https://apnews.com/e2444c08177109ec148772fa547e47e9|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="NYT 01.31.1990">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/31/nyregion/crash-victim-passes-condoms-with-cocaine.html|title=Crash Victim Passes Condoms With Cocaine|work=NYT|date=January 31, 1990|access-date=March 30, 2016|archive-date=April 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412112012/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/31/nyregion/crash-victim-passes-condoms-with-cocaine.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="DeParle NYT 02.26.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/26/nyregion/caravan-of-cars-enters-kennedy-to-protest-crash.html|title=Caravan of Cars Enters Kennedy To Protest Crash|last=DeParle|first=Jason|date=February 26, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=January 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130140753/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/26/nyregion/caravan-of-cars-enters-kennedy-to-protest-crash.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Cushman NYT 06.21.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/21/nyregion/faa-sued-as-jetliner-crash-inquiry-starts.html|title=F.A.A. Sued as Jetliner Crash Inquiry Start|last=Cushman|first=John|date=June 21, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305155307/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/21/nyregion/faa-sued-as-jetliner-crash-inquiry-starts.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Lubasch NYT 07.28.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/28/nyregion/avianca-offers-crash-survivors-75000-apiece.html|title=Avianca Offers Crash Survivors $75,000 Apiece|last=Lubasch|first=Arnold|date=July 28, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305171428/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/28/nyregion/avianca-offers-crash-survivors-75000-apiece.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Weiner NYT 08.02.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/02/nyregion/fuel-emergency-is-declared-for-avianca-jet.html|title=Fuel Emergency Is Declared For Avianca Jet|last=Weiner|first=Eric|date=August 2, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=May 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525190242/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/02/nyregion/fuel-emergency-is-declared-for-avianca-jet.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Weiner NYT 08.04.1990">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/04/nyregion/fuel-emergency-for-avianca-jet-said-premature.html|title=Fuel Emergency For Avianca Jet Said Premature|last=Weiner|first=Eric|date=August 4, 1990|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305053928/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/04/nyregion/fuel-emergency-for-avianca-jet-said-premature.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Lueck NYT 11.17.1992">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/17/nyregion/us-joins-airline-in-plan-for-settlement-in-1990-crash.html|title=U.S. Joins Airline in Plan for Settlement in 1990 Crash|last=Lueck|first=Thomas|date=November 17, 1992|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=January 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115030318/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/17/nyregion/us-joins-airline-in-plan-for-settlement-in-1990-crash.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Feeny Gaskell NYDN 01.24.2010">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/survivors-responders-reunite-20-years-deadly-crash-avianca-flight-52-long-island-article-1.171200|title=Survivors, first responders reunite 20 years after deadly crash of Avianca Flight 52 on Long Island|last1=Feeny|first1=Michael|first2=Stephanie|last2=Gaskell|date=January 4, 2010|newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|New York Daily News]]|access-date=January 15, 2016|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307014846/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/survivors-responders-reunite-20-years-deadly-crash-avianca-flight-52-long-island-article-1.171200|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="Kakutani NYT 11.17.2008">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/books/18kaku.html?pagewanted=all|title=It's True: Success Succeeds, and Advantages Can Help|last=Kakutani|first=Michiko|date=November 17, 2008|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 9, 2015|archive-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905080602/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/books/18kaku.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="The Day After Tomorrow">{{cite AV media|last=Emmerich|first=Roland|year=2004|title=[[The Day After Tomorrow]]|author-link=Roland Emmerich|medium=Motion picture|location=United States}}</ref>
<ref name="Mayday Missing Over New York">{{Cite episode |title=Missing Over New York|series=[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]|network=[[Discovery Channel Canada]] / [[National Geographic Channel]]|season=2|number=6|year=2004}}</ref>
<ref name="MSNBC Human Error">{{Cite episode |title=Human Error|series=Why Planes Crash|network=[[MSNBC]]|year=2010}}</ref>
<ref name="Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 830.2">{{CodeFedReg|49|830|2}} (as enacted by {{Federal Register|53|36983}}), September 23, 1988.  Retrieved December 22, 2017.<!-- The version of CFR 830.2 in effect in 1990 is not the version in effect today. --></ref>
<ref name="Sturgell v. Glennon">{{wikicite |reference={{cite court |litigants=Robert A Sturgell v. John J. Glennon and Keith M. Shewbart|date=October 15, 2008|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/legal/alj/OnODocuments/Aviation/5411.PDF|access-date=March 9, 2015|quote=Block fuel, the Administrator contends, is the combination of taxi fuel, trip burn fuel, reserve fuel, planned contingency fuel, and unplanned contingency fuel.}}}}</ref>
<ref name="FAA Location Identifiers - A">{{cite web|url=http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/lid/L_PA.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203044921/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/lid/L_PA.htm|archive-date=February 3, 2015|title=Location Identifiers – A|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=March 9, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="FAA Location Identifiers - B">{{cite web|url=http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/lid/L_PB.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325071952/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/lid/L_PB.htm|archive-date=March 25, 2015|title=Location Identifiers – B|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=March 9, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="FAA Location Identifiers - C">{{cite web|url=https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/LID/L_PC.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112005/https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/LID/L_PC.htm|archive-date=April 2, 2015|title=Location Identifiers – C|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=March 9, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="FAA Location Identifiers - U">{{cite web|url=http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/lid/L_PU.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204103959/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/lid/L_PU.htm|archive-date=February 4, 2015|title=Location Identifiers – U|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=March 9, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="FAA IFR EHUS9">{{cite web |url=https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/ifr/ |title=IFR Enroute Aeronautical Charts and Planning |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |at=High Altitude Conterminous U.S. Chart H-9 |access-date=March 9, 2015 |archive-date=March 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321043750/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/ifr/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="FAA IFR EHUS12">{{cite web |url=https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/ifr/ |title=IFR Enroute Aeronautical Charts and Planning |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |at=High Altitude Conterminous U.S. Chart H-12 |access-date=March 9, 2015 |archive-date=March 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321043750/http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/ifr/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{external media
| float  = right
| width  =
| image1 = [http://www.airliners.net/search?registrationActual=HK-2016&display=detail Pre-accident pictures of aircraft at Airliners.net]
| image2 = [https://www.jetphotos.com/registration/HK-2016 Pre-accident pictures of aircraft at JetPhotos.net]}}
*[https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9104.pdf NTSB Final Report] - [http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR91-04.pdf Copy at] [[Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University]]
*{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Avianca}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1990s}}
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by fuel exhaustion]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Avianca accidents and incidents]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents caused by air traffic controller error]]
[[Category:Colombia–United States relations]]
[[Category:Oyster Bay (town), New York]]
[[Category:1990 in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1990]]
[[Category:January 1990 in the United States]]