Just Horrible
The controller was on the phone with his girlfriend
WASHINGTON – The air traffic controller at Teterboro Airport was on the phone with his girlfriend during the mid-air collision over the Hudson River.
His supervisor had wandered off and wasn’t even in the tower.
Horrified officials called their actions “unacceptable,” even though they were not blamed for Saturday’s crash.
Both controllers – who were not immediately identified – have been suspended and will likely be fired.
There’s also a link to an actual video of the collision…which to my untrained eye sure looks like the pilot of the plane should have been able to see and avoid. Sure, he’s flying a low-wing aircraft, which severely restricts your view at things that may be coming up from below, but he should have known that and taken extra precautions to look ahead and below when he could to foresee any potential incidents.
Just horrible.
Life | Mr. Bingley | 
August 14, 2009 6:49 am
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I didn’t realize how much uncontrolled air traffic there is around Manhattan until the Cory Lidle plane crash. As an outsider it kind of surprises me, but if that’s the way people want it…
I doubt the controller had either aircraft on the radar, just to low. The pilot of Piper looks like he may be pulling up and right to avoid the impact, hard to tell. Too much closing speed. If he was looking to his right for any reason he would have never seen the helo.