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New footage from a tourist on a Circle Line cruise showing last Saturday's collision between a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter was released tonight, just as the FAA announced that the air traffic controller and his supervisor at Teterboro Airport in NJ were suspended. Apparently the air traffic controller was on the phone with his girlfriend while handling the small plane's flight and his supervisor had left the room. The FAA said, in a statement, "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."
Nine people—three in the small plane and six in the helicopter—were killed. The Post says the National Transportation Safety Board "learned of the conversation while listening to tapes of Teterboro control tower." Still, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said, "We have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident." He added that the two employees were placed on "administrative leave" and the FAA has "begun disciplinary proceedings"; many think they will be fired. The Daily News notes that transcripts show "no problems in the exchange between controllers at the New Jersey airport and the plane's pilot, Steven Altman"—who picked the route down the Hudson— and that "NTSB chairwoman Debbie Hersman has said the controller told Altman to switch his radio over to the Newark tower - and gave the correct frequency - but Newark never made contact."
As for the video, it was taken by an Italian tourist who was trying out a new video camera. The plane appears to be turning when its wing is clipped by the helicopter's blades.
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Babbitt also said today that the FAA is considering new safety regulations over the Hudson River, something that local officials have been demanding.
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New safety regulations being considered?
I guess showing up to work and doing actual work were not part of the handbook.
They should be fired without batting an eye. Even if it had no direct influence on the crash. They were caught with their pants down and have no excuse.
What confuses me is that they say this: "We learned that the controller handling the Piper flight was involved in apparently inappropriate conversations on the telephone at the time of the accident...
Then follow up with this: "We have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident." (with regards to the convo)
Then why bring it up at all? I think its tragic what happened, but just because someone is demanding an answer doesn't mean they should make this guy a scape goat.
The lawyers have to incriminate somebody. How else will they make any money?
Amazing, so nine people are dead because this guy was jawing it up with his chick? Hope he can live with himself.
I guess it would be worse if it was texting.
except for the part where they have specifically said that there didn't seem to be anything incorrect in the back and forth between the pilot and the controller and that the switch off to newark air traffic control was supposed to have taken place. he shouldn't have been on the phone with his girlfriend, and the supervisor shouldn't have been out of the building. but that doesn't mean that the nine deaths are their fault.
Really? What was that controller doing to help those nine survive? The question is what phone was he using? His own cellie or the one at work? You can pick up a work phone and still monitor the scopes. Obviously that asshole was on his own fucking cellphone, away from the scopes. Piece of worthless shit.
That video is horrible. What amazing um...luck (?) that it was taken - hopefully will help to sort this out.
Agreed. There should be a sticker on every camera, or a start-up message when you turn it on, that says "Hold the camera steady and level and for the love of G-d pan s-l-o-w-l-y!"
I reiterate my initial offer to proof the site for cash and hope we can all find a small place of our own.
Phone sex is to NJ air traffic controllers what text messaging is to Boston subway conductors. Get off the phone and do your job before you kill more people! This is seriously outrageous.
Is it really that hard to read an article over once before putting it up on the site? The typos are ridiculous.
Thanks for your comments — I wrote the post last night at 11:30pm, so I may not have been 100% alert. I tried to look it, but you know what they say, sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees (or vice versa) so I appreciate it when commenters give their constructive feedback.
What a horrible way to die. The last few seconds must have been hell.
Who claps because dead people are back in town?
Somber.