AVIATION/ NTSB RULES ON HUDSON RIVER COLLISION

The NTSB ruled yesterday that errors by 2 Pilots and a distracted air traffic controller were the likely causes of the midair collision between a small private plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River that killed 9 people on August 8, 2009. The NTSB cited inherent limitations on both Pilots' ability to see and avoid each other until seconds before colliding. It also determined that an air traffic controller at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey failed to provide a timely transfer of information and air traffic advisories for Pilots in the busy Hudson River airspace. While directing traffic, the controller also was conducting a personal telephone conversation about a dead cat at the Airport. "A lot of people made a lot of little errors, and at the end of the day that's what culminated in this accident," the NTSB Chairwoman said. The private Piper, with 2 passengers plus the pilot aboard, collided with the LIBERTY TOURS Eurocopter carrying a Pilot and 5 Italian tourists. All were killed in the collision. Both Pilots failed to use onboard equipment to help stay aware of other aircraft, the NTSB said. Other factors contributing to the crash were inadequate FAA rules on the vertical distance that aircraft are required to maintain between each other and inadequate procedures for flying in the busy New York-New Jersey corridor. The NTSB also recommended altering boundaries of the busy corridor, requiring operational altitudes for local aircraft and others leaving the area, and declaring airspace used for scenic tours as high traffic. The NTSB also strongly recommended more electronic advisory systems in helicopter cockpits.