In response to a recent spate of aviation safety reports (ASRs) filed by pilots, New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport (TEB) could be in danger of losing one of its departure routes, according to Bill Mack, managing director of the Teterboro Users Group, an advocacy association of airport users and operators. It seems that some pilots departing from Teterboro are not maintaining adequate separation from airliners arriving at Newark. Mack is urging pilots using the TEB5 departure from Runway 24 to study their charts to adhere to the complex procedure, which, given the airport’s proximity to busy Newark Liberty International, demands strict attention to altitude and heading.

Newark’s ILS arrivals to Runway 22L intersect TEB5 departures, which cross beneath them at an altitude of 1,500 feet. The departures require crews to climb on runway heading to 1,500 feet, and then to turn right to heading 280 until the airplane passes the TEB 4.5 DME arc. Only then can departing flights climb to and maintain 2,000 feet. According to local ATC, these altitudes are critical to maintaining proper separation from the Newark 22L arrivals and for terrain clearance to the west.

If pilots do not adhere to the procedure and maintain sufficient separation from the Newark traffic, the FAA could eliminate that route, resulting in long delays for TEB departures traffic, Mack said. To make it easier for pilots to follow the procedure, the Jeppesen departure plate has been de-cluttered and the designated runway procedures have been separated. While filing voluntary ASRs could help pilots in violation, local Tracon is required to report any loss-of-separation incidents to Teterboro’s Flight Standards Division Office for certificate action.