NY: Controller was on phone during Plane Helicopter Hudson River crash - YouTube NewsPaperOnline

WASHINGTON - An air traffic controller who was making a personal phone call when a small plane and a helicopter collided over New York's Hudson River has been removed from duty along with his supervisor, who was out of the building at the time. Federal officials said the pair's actions probably had no impact on last week's crash. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Thursday that a controller at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and his supervisor were placed on administrative leave after the controller was found to be involved in "apparently inappropriate conversations" at the time of the accident that killed nine people. The agency said while there was no reason to believe thus far that the employees' actions contributed to the collision, such conduct is unacceptable. The controller had handed off the monitoring of the small plane involved in the collision to another airport shortly before the plane collided with a tour helicopter. The two employees, who were not identified, were placed on administrative leave with pay. The FAA said it has begun disciplinary proceedings against the pair. Three members of a Pennsylvania family on the plane and five Italian tourists and a pilot on the helicopter were killed when the two stricken aircraft plunged into the river. Air traffic controllers, including supervisors, are considered on duty throughout their shifts and are expected to be available in case they are needed, even when they are taking breaks. One of the questions the FAA is looking into is why the supervisor wasn't in the building, and whether there are circumstances in which supervisors are permitted to leave the premises. The controller had cleared the small plane, a single-engine Piper, for takeoff and then made a personal call to a woman, said sources familiar with the investigation, who asked not to be named because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. The National Transportation Safety Board will use the video to investigate the crash

NY: Controller was on phone during Plane Helicopter Hudson River crash - YouTube
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News & Politics	Upload TimePublished on 14 Aug 2009