The Federal Aviation Administration has suspended the air traffic controller and his supervisor on shift at Teterboro Airport at the time of Saturday's Hudson River mid-air collision that left 9 people dead.
The FAA released the following statement on Thursday evening: "In conjunction with the FAA's participation in the National Transportation Safety Board's inquiry into the recent Hudson River accident, we learned that the controller handling the Piper flight was involved in apparently inappropriate conversations on the telephone at the time of the accident. "We also learned that the supervisor was not present in the building as required.
While we have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident, this kind of conduct is unacceptable and we have placed the employees on administrative leave and have begun disciplinary proceedings. "We respect the NTSB's authority in determining the cause of the accident and will continue to work closely with NTSB investigators."The air traffic controller on duty was in radio contact with the doomed aircraft, but he was also on a separate line with his girlfriend, according to an angry senior administration official, the Daily News reported Thursday evening.The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the labor union representing controllers, said in a statement that it supports a full investigation of the allegations "before there is a rush to judgment."
The FAA's action came as an amateur video surfaced that captured the moment of impact between the two aircraft. The images, taken by an Italian man practicing with a new camera while on a boat tour, shows the helicopter flying overhead when suddenly a single-engine plane appears behind it, apparently climbing and turning. The plane clips the helicopter's rotor blades, and a wing shears off. Debris rains down, and the plane flips. Both aircraft plunge toward the water.
On the video, aired Thursday on "NBC Nightly News," one or more onlookers can be heard in the background saying, "Oh, my God!"Teterboro Airport, located directly across the Hudson River from New York City near the George Washington Bridge, handles corporate and private aircraft.It is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and handles nearly 200,000 flights a year.In the wake of the tragic crash, the FAA is considering requiring more safety measures for low-flying aircraft in the New York City, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said Thursday. The FAA has already sent pilots a reminder on several long-recommended precautions for flying in the visual flight zone in the congested Hudson River corridor on the west side of Manhattan. Among them are tuning radios to frequencies where the pilots communicate with one another, flying at speeds under 140 knots and turning on aircraft lights.
Babbitt, speaking after touring the FAA Technical Center at Atlantic City International Airport, said the radio communications might have prevented the crash Saturday between a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter. "They were given traffic alerts," he said. "However, neither of the pilots was on the frequencies." Babbitt said his agency has been helping the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash. He said that while his agency will review any recommendations the NTSB makes, it will also make rule changes sooner if it sees a need. The FAA has already formed a task force to study issues for the congested areas where visual flight rules apply at low altitudes, Babbitt said. Saturday's crash happened at about 1,100 feet, a space between the lower level where visual flight rules apply and the higher altitude where air traffic controllers guide pilots.
Supervisor was not in the tower? NO, Really? You don't say? Forget about the contract, NATCA has to defend this controller. It was not in his airspace and vfr. rules are rules.Jackops- expect a lot of posts, news is flying out of control!
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