Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Plane Possibly Poops On Long Island Couple
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 27, 2012
Modified Feb 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 27, 2012
Modified Feb 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Long Island couple believes that sludge from an airplane lavatory fell on them while they were outside on the deck enjoying the freakishly mild February weather Thursday night. "A plane was coming over," Artie Hughes tells 1010 WINS. "Next thing you know [my wife] says ‘Oh my God it’s raining.’ I said ‘No it’s not'." Hughes and his wife say they were covered in odorless sludge right when a plane flew over their home in Malverne, which is in the JFK flight path.
Hughes says he saw some "black oil" on his wife's face. "I walked around and I looked and said ‘Oh my God.’ There was quarter-sized, nickel-sized, dime-sized drops all over my deck, my barbecue, my table." So the Hugheses called the police, and Hughes says the responding officer called "either the Port Authority or the FAA and said ‘Yeah, it looks like there was an incident. Some lavatory excrement had leaked out'."
FAA spokesman Jim Peters tells us that investigators are going to the Hughes's home on Wednesday to examine the substance. Asked if this sort of thing is common, Peters told us, "When this has happened, it's usually chemically treated waste that can sometimes leak out of the outer skin of the aircraft and clump up and break off. If it's that, we will try to determine what plane this occurred with." Dave Matthews better hope he has an airtight alibi.
Former Malverne Civic Association president Peter Robideau tells Newsday the incident underscores the village's problem with low-flying aircraft, which routinely rattle his house when flying overhead. "They're low, they're big, they're loud," Robideau declares. "And the cargo flights will wake you out of bed at 3 a.m." Yup, and then they shit on your house!
Tagged
air travel
airplane
JFK
long island
malverne
planes
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 1:16 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 17, 2026 at 4:10 p.m. ET
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
Suspects were driving a Subaru Forester, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
By
Willow Higgins
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .