Teterboro Controller Joked About Barbecuing A Cat

The AP got hold of transcripts of Teterboro Airport's air traffic controller conversations on August 8—the day a small plane and sightseeing helicopter collided over the Hudson River—and found the controller in charge of guiding the small plane was joking was about barbecuing a cat. Before the small plane had taken off, the controller had called a woman in the airport's operations center about a dead cat that needed to be removed from the runway. The Daily News reports, "Two minutes after the [small plane], the controller called the woman back," saying, "We got plenty of gas in the grill? Fire up the cat." The woman replied, "Ooh, disgusting ... that thing was disgusting." The pair bantered about the cat some more "while the controller directed traffic. Seconds before the accident, the controller said, 'Damn' - and ended the call." The National Transportation Safety Board has said radar data showed many aircraft in the small plane's path, but the controller never alerted the plane's pilot, a claim the National Air Traffic Controllers Association disputes. The FAA, which suspended the controller and his supervisor, has said the conversation was inappropriate but probably did not cause the crash that left nine dead.

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By Jen Chung in News on August 20, 2009 9:27 AM

Comments [rss]

felixthecat2

animal cruelty jokes aren't funny but dangerous.

ides_of_march

Regardless of what happened in the control tower, I still can't imagine how a pilot could not see what was right in front of him on a clear blue day. (Before he slammed into it that is).

Politburo

That's because it wasn't right in front of him, moron.

ides_of_march

Pilots aren't racehorses with blinkers on, they have a broad view in front of them. At some point before he got near the helicopter, he must have had an opportunity to see it.

As for the helicopter not being right in front of them, considering they actually hit each other, I'd say that's pretty damn close to it.

jaycjay

He probably did see it at some point, as it came from below and off to the side into his line of sight. The helicopter had just taken off, and was climbing. Seeing it and being able to avoid it, though, are two different things -- even more so than when driving a car -- especially since witnesses say the plane was banking and turning at the time.

Jen Chung

It's believed the helicopter appeared in a blind spot, on the side (it wasn't heading straight into the small plane).

glennQNYC

The aircraft that use Teterboro aren't very big. I'd think hitting a cat with one wouldn't go unnoticed.

hotstepper

my kitty got sauce.

valeriob

Did anyone allegedly kick the cat? Say, an emo band?

MrManhattan

Was there a bicycle anywhere in the vicinity?

americaonline

No, but there was a yellow cab driver. He "wasn't" on his cellphone though...

whitecastlerock

I think Christine Quinn's slush funds caused the crash...

valeriob

No silly. Her uncle's step sister's father manufactures the boat rescue team's engines, see.

And Bloomberg has increased production of these rescue boats since all these planes decided the hudson is better than the air.

buttface

Why is an operational phone call about removing a carcass from a runway considered a personal call?

Sounds like a legitimate job function to me.

valeriob

I'm not sure the content of his conversation is important.

It's funny as hell, and would probably be delicious if the cat were fresh, but unimportant.

buttface

Great, another felixthecat post.

dr zippy

I look forward to the thirty-seven irrational comments.

savedbyzero

Indeed.

Oy vey.

americaonline

but probably did not cause the crash that left nine dead.

So why are you still talking about it?

yytttt

I have a kooky conspiracy theory: the plane seen smashing into the helicopter in the video/photos from the crash was what actually caused the crash.

Outter Burrougher

if the hand off to newark was supposed to have taken place already, why haven't i seen anything on the controllers at newark?

Jen Chung

From what I've read—this Post article seemed to have a good timeline— the Teterboro controller told the pilot to switch to Newark frequencies, but the pilot never responded. The Newark controller noticed there were aircraft in the pilot's route and contacted the Teterboro controller to let the pilot know. From the Post: "At that moment -- as the Teterboro controller juggled the personal call and the Newark controller -- Altman radioed in to say he was switching frequencies to Newark as ordered. The Teterboro controller then tried twice, unsuccessfully, to reach Altman and alert him to the impending disaster."