"David" wrote in message
...

This is not really a very significant disagreement. :-) My reference
says the last instruction to the Constellation was 'turn left to a
heading of 130'.

Does your reference refer to a clearance to land?


"A midair collision took place over Staten Island at 5,000 ft. The Connie
was cleared to land at La Guardia Airport on Runway 04 when the United DC-8
struck the Connie tearing it apart. The Connie immediately crashed to the
ground at Miller Army Air Field on Staten Island. One passenger was sucked
out into one of the DC8s jet engines. Other passengers fell from the Connie
as the spinning fuselage fell onto Staten Island. The United jet tried to
make an emergency landing at La Guardia Airport but could not maintain
altitude and crashed into the streets of Brooklyn. Forty-four passengers on
the Constellation and eight-four passengers on the DC-8 were killed. Three
passengers from the DC-8 died shortly after. One young boy, Stephen Baltz
survived several days before succumbing to his injuries. Six people were
also killed on the ground. The United crew entered a low-altitude holding
pattern at 500 miles per hour, twice the speed it should have been going and
flew past the clearance limits and airspace allocated to the flight. One of
2 VORs on the DC-8 was not functioning. Although the crew knew this, they
failed to report this to the ATC, who probably would have provided extra
radar assistance."

http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1960/1960-51.htm



Isn't 5000 ft, a bit high to be cleared to land? La Guardia is pretty
close to sea level.


Not necessarily.



What is the aviation definition of 'enroute' by the way?
Is it the same as 'en route'?


Yes.



My dictionary gives no help - it just says it means 'on the way'.


En route procedures come after departure procedures and before arrival
procedures.

http://www1.faa.gov/atpubs/AIM/chap5toc.htm