A personal phone call during last week's collision over New York's Hudson River has led to two air traffic controllers being removed from duty, although officials said the conversation probably had no impact on the tragedy.---------------------------------------
The Federal Aviation Administration suspended two air traffic controllers in the wake of Saturday's fatal midair collision over the Hudson River, but the agency said their actions didn't contribute to the accident.
In a statement Thursday, the FAA said the probe revealed the controller handling the Piper propeller plane that collided with a sightseeing helicopter at low altitude was engaged in an "apparently inappropriate" phone conversation at the time of the accident. The FAA didn't provide more specific details of the phone call.
An air-traffic control supervisor wasn't on site as required, according to the agency. The FAA said it has started disciplinary action against the two controllers. Their names weren't released.
The crash resulted in nine fatalities and sparked a debate over possibly restricting small-plane traffic over the river, where pilots using visual flight rules aren't required to be in contact with controllers.
According to the FAA, there is "no reason to believe" that the allegedly improper actions of the controllers "contributed" to the midair crash.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing the FAA's 15,000 controllers, said the FAA should thoroughly examine the matter before taking action. "We support that any such allegation is fully investigated before there is a rush to judgment about the behavior of any controller," the union said in a statement.
Earlier this week, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Debbie Hersman said controllers from Teterboro, N.J., Airport offered the plane's pilot two trajectories, and said the pilot was indecisive before finally choosing the lower-altitude path down the Hudson River.
In a statement Thursday, the FAA said the probe revealed the controller handling the Piper propeller plane that collided with a sightseeing helicopter at low altitude was engaged in an "apparently inappropriate" phone conversation at the time of the accident. The FAA didn't provide more specific details of the phone call.
An air-traffic control supervisor wasn't on site as required, according to the agency. The FAA said it has started disciplinary action against the two controllers. Their names weren't released.
The crash resulted in nine fatalities and sparked a debate over possibly restricting small-plane traffic over the river, where pilots using visual flight rules aren't required to be in contact with controllers.
According to the FAA, there is "no reason to believe" that the allegedly improper actions of the controllers "contributed" to the midair crash.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing the FAA's 15,000 controllers, said the FAA should thoroughly examine the matter before taking action. "We support that any such allegation is fully investigated before there is a rush to judgment about the behavior of any controller," the union said in a statement.
Earlier this week, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Debbie Hersman said controllers from Teterboro, N.J., Airport offered the plane's pilot two trajectories, and said the pilot was indecisive before finally choosing the lower-altitude path down the Hudson River.
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