2009 Hudson River mid-air collision
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Hudson River mid-air collision was a flight accident that occurred on August 8, 2009, at 11:56 a.m. (15:56 UTC), in which nine people died when a tour helicopter and a small private airplane collided over the Hudson River
near Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, New Jersey
.
The aircraft were in an area known as the "Hudson River VFR Corridor", which extends from the surface of the river to altitudes of 800 to 1500 ft (243.8 to 457.2 m) at various locations along the Hudson River in the immediate area of New York City
. Within this corridor, aircraft operate under visual flight rules
, under which the responsibility to see and avoid other air traffic rests with the individual pilots rather than with the air traffic controller
.
Because of the heavy commercial air traffic into Newark
, LaGuardia
, and Kennedy airports, small aircraft are restricted from much of the airspace around the city. Many airplanes that need to transit the New York metro area use the VFR corridor as an alternative to going east of the city (over water) or west (toward Pennsylvania
). The corridor is also heavily used by helicopter tour companies, which take passengers on sight-seeing tours of the New York skyline
. Visual flight rules on the river corridors by Manhattan have been subject to considerable debate since the 2006 New York City plane crash
, in which New York Yankees
pitcher Cory Lidle
crashed into an apartment building while flying using visual flight rules on the East River
. This was the first aircraft collision over the Hudson River since 1976.
The collision, which occurred opposite Manhattan
's 14th Street
, was about 40 blocks south of where US Airways Flight 1549
ditched in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, with no loss of life, after the plane suffered a complete loss of thrust following a bird strike.
in Teterboro, New Jersey
at 11:48 a.m. to take off. It departed at 11:49 a.m., and was headed for Ocean City, New Jersey
.
The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 carrying five Italian tourists and its pilot, took off from the West 30th Street Heliport
at 11:52 a.m. At about the same time, Teterboro tower radioed Altman in the Piper at take-off requesting him to pick his flight path towards Ocean City, and indicate whether he wished to head there via the Hudson river, or take a Southwest tack. Altman replied "Either". "Let me know" said the tower, and Altman replied "OK, tell you what, I will take down the river."
Altman was then instructed to contact Newark Liberty International Airport
, and he acknowledged the instruction. However, he did not contact the tower at Newark. It later transpired that, in acknowledging the instruction to contact Newark, Altman had read back the wrong frequency (127.8 MHz instead of 127.85); an error that the controller did not correct. Soon after, a controller at Newark who was concerned about aircraft in the Piper's path contacted the Teterboro controller and asked the Teterboro controller to attempt to re-establish contact. Attempts to contact Altman and change his aircraft's heading were unsuccessful. After the unsuccessful attempts to contact Altman, a radar alert about a possible collision occurred in both the Newark and Teterboro towers. However, the two controllers did not remember seeing or hearing the alert.
While heading south down river, the airplane was seen to be behind the sightseeing helicopter, which was going about half as fast. The pilot of another helicopter (refueling at the heliport) saw the impending accident and attempted to warn both the airborne helicopter and the plane by radio but received no response. At 11:53:14 a.m., the Piper's right wing crashed into the Eurocopter, severing the right wing of the airplane and multiple rotor blades from the helicopter. Most witnesses reported the plane did a nose dive while spiraling into the water. Many reported that the helicopter just dropped into the water. The collision occurred at approximately 1100 feet (335.3 m) MSL
altitude and was caught on tape by an Italian tourist. Less than a minute after the collision occurred, the Teterboro controller contacted the Newark tower to inquire about the airplane, and was told that the airplane had not contacted Newark.
Killed in the airplane were the pilot Steven Altman, his brother Daniel, and his nephew Douglas. The helicopter tourists were in two groups; the first was Michele Norelli and his son, Filippo Norelli. The other group was Fabio Gallazzi, his wife, Tiziana Pedroni, and his son, Giacomo Gallazzi. The pilot of the helicopter was New Zealander Jeremy Clarke, who had logged 2,700 hours as a helicopter pilot. All recovered victims died from blunt trauma to the head, torso and extremities, according the NYC medical examiner's office.
National Weather Service
weather conditions at noon in New York City stations on the day of the collision were described as "sunny" or "partly sunny" with a temperature of between 73 °F and 75 °F and variable wind speed of 3–10 mph (4.8–16.1 km/h; 2.6–8.7 kn).
Authorities said the Piper's "low wing" design made it difficult to see below the aircraft and the helicopter's rotors make it difficult to see above. In addition, neither small aircraft was required to have a flight data recorder
or cockpit voice recorder
.
had reported that the New York City Fire Department
(FDNY) had rescued one survivor from the Hudson River; however, this report was shown to be incorrect. In addition to FDNY, six rescue boat crews from Coast Guard Station New York, a Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, several Coast Guard Auxiliary assets, the New York City Police Department
(NYPD), New Jersey State Police
, and local emergency services all participated in the rescue effort. The Red Cross and the New York Harbor Police also assisted in the efforts. At about 3:00 p.m., Michael Bloomberg
, the mayor of New York, addressed questions in a press conference. Calling the crash "an accident which we do not believe was survivable," Bloomberg announced that the mission was no longer a rescue mission, but rather a recovery mission.
On the night of August 8, 2009, the US Coast Guard maintained a two-mile safety zone from the Holland Tunnel to the Lincoln Tunnel, requiring vessels to move slowly and stay within 400 yards of the Manhattan side while passing through the area. The safety zone was maintained by the Coast Guard cutter Penobscot Bay.
The efforts succeeded on August 10, when the plane's wreckage was discovered in approximately 60 ft of water. The plane wreckage was recovered from the river on the afternoon of August 11. Additionally, the last few bodies were found in the wreckage of the plane, ending the search for bodies. The recovery effort was led by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
with the aid of NYPD boats, New Jersey State Police divers, and the FDNY.
(NTSB), which sent a Go Team on the day of the crash. Senior NTSB Air Safety Investigator Robert Gretz was the Investigator-in-Charge of the 10-member team. NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman accompanied the team and served as principal spokesperson for the on-scene investigation.
Keith Holloway is the NTSB press officer who joined the team in New York.
On August 14, 2009, the NTSB released a report regarding the incident. The report discussed several aspects of the collision, including locations of origin of the aircraft, planned destination, and air traffic control communications. In addition, the report discussed how one of the controllers at Teterboro Airport was on a phone call and did not warn the airplane pilot of the potential conflict. The National Air Traffic Controller's Union (NATCA) then issued their own press release disputing some of the phrasing in the NTSB's report. The NTSB then retracted some of its statements regarding the controller's part in the crash, saying that the controller could not have warned the plane about the tour helicopter because the tour helicopter was not on the controller's radar. The NTSB also removed NATCA as a party to the investigation as a result of NATCA's press release, which was prohibited by NTSB rules. NATCA may still submit information to the board regarding the accident, but they will not hold a seat on the investigation board.
Due to the accident, the FAA
put the Teterboro controller and his supervisor on leave and made comments about the phone call, which was deemed improper behavior. However, the NTSB rebuked the FAA for doing so, stating that only the NTSB has the authority to determine the controller's contribution to the incident.
VFR corridors. They will report to FAA administrator Babbitt on August 28. A NOTAM
issued on August 11, 2009 advises pilots flying in the area to turn on their lights, use the designated self-announce radio frequencies, and fly at a speed of 140 knots or less.
15 members of Congress
, led by Representative Jerrold Nadler
(D-New York
), sent a letter to FAA administrator J. Randolph Babbitt calling for "immediate action to provide greater oversight of small aircraft operations".
In a press conference on August 8, 2009, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
(an airplane and helicopter pilot himself) stated that "Until the National Transportation Safety Board makes a determination, nothing is a fact" and stressed that the investigation will take weeks or months before those facts are known. Representatives from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), including AOPA President Craig Fuller, have appeared on numerous news programs and collaborated with news sources to explain the workings of the Hudson River VFR corridor and the safety record of flights in that area.
corridor into the controlled Class B airspace above. However, for reasons unknown as yet, he was not in communication with any air traffic controllers after he switched frequencies from Teterboro tower. He also apparently was not communicating on the Corridor's self-announce frequency.
The NTSB recommended that the FAA revise the procedures for ATC
facilities in the area to facilitate the process for VFR traffic that wishes to transit Class B airspace. This included establishing procedures to coordinate such requests between facilities; requiring controllers to instruct pilots to self-announce on the VFR corridor frequency if they are unable to immediately enter Class B airspace; adding information to area Automatic Terminal Information Service
(ATIS) broadcasts reminding pilots to use the self-announce frequency; and ensuring that pilots are provided with traffic advisories if they are in contact with a controller.
Additionally, the NTSB recommended that ATC controllers and supervisors be briefed in the circumstances of this accident; that a Special Flight Rules Area
(SFRA) be established for the location requiring special training for pilots transiting the area; and that helicopters be required to operate at lower altitudes than airplanes in the corridor to minimize the speed differences.
On November 16, 2009, the FAA announced that the new rules for the Hudson River corridor would go into effect on November 19, 2009, at 4 P.M. The FAA elaborated on the new rules from their previous announcement. In the clarifications, they said that three air traffic zones for different purposes would be instituted. Under 1000 feet (304.8 m), planes and helicopters for sightseeing and lingering would be allowed. From 1000 to 1300 ft (304.8 to 396.2 m), aircraft would be allowed to fly without air traffic control handling. Above 1300 feet (396.2 m), aircraft would be allowed to traverse the corridor under the handling of air traffic control.
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
near Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
.
The aircraft were in an area known as the "Hudson River VFR Corridor", which extends from the surface of the river to altitudes of 800 to 1500 ft (243.8 to 457.2 m) at various locations along the Hudson River in the immediate area of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Within this corridor, aircraft operate under visual flight rules
Visual flight rules
Visual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...
, under which the responsibility to see and avoid other air traffic rests with the individual pilots rather than with the air traffic controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
.
Because of the heavy commercial air traffic into Newark
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
, LaGuardia
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
, and Kennedy airports, small aircraft are restricted from much of the airspace around the city. Many airplanes that need to transit the New York metro area use the VFR corridor as an alternative to going east of the city (over water) or west (toward Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
). The corridor is also heavily used by helicopter tour companies, which take passengers on sight-seeing tours of the New York skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...
. Visual flight rules on the river corridors by Manhattan have been subject to considerable debate since the 2006 New York City plane crash
2006 New York City plane crash
The 2006 New York City plane crash occurred on October 11, 2006, when a Cirrus SR20 general aviation, fixed-wing, single-engine light aircraft crashed into the Belaire Apartments in New York City at about 2:42 p.m. local time...
, in which New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
pitcher Cory Lidle
Cory Lidle
Cory Fulton Lidle was an Americanright-handed baseball pitcher who spent nine seasons in the major leagues with seven different teams. His twin brother Kevin Lidle also played baseball, as a catcher for several minor league teams...
crashed into an apartment building while flying using visual flight rules on the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
. This was the first aircraft collision over the Hudson River since 1976.
The collision, which occurred opposite Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's 14th Street
14th Street (Manhattan)
14th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street rivals the size of some of the well-known avenues of the city and is an important business location....
, was about 40 blocks south of where US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
ditched in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, with no loss of life, after the plane suffered a complete loss of thrust following a bird strike.
Collision
The light aircraft was a 1976-built 6-seat Piper PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance piloted by Steven Altman with 2 passengers. Altman was given clearance from the tower at Teterboro AirportTeterboro Airport
Teterboro Airport is a general aviation relief airport located in the Boroughs of Teterboro, Moonachie, and Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey...
in Teterboro, New Jersey
Teterboro, New Jersey
Teterboro is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 67, making it the fourth smallest municipality, by population, in New Jersey....
at 11:48 a.m. to take off. It departed at 11:49 a.m., and was headed for Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is the principal city of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cape May County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 11,701...
.
The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 carrying five Italian tourists and its pilot, took off from the West 30th Street Heliport
West 30th Street Heliport
The West 30th Street Heliport is a heliport on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. The original heliport opened with two landing pads on September 26, 1956 and in December New York Airways began scheduled passenger flights, the first airline flights to Manhattan.-Operations:Since this is...
at 11:52 a.m. At about the same time, Teterboro tower radioed Altman in the Piper at take-off requesting him to pick his flight path towards Ocean City, and indicate whether he wished to head there via the Hudson river, or take a Southwest tack. Altman replied "Either". "Let me know" said the tower, and Altman replied "OK, tell you what, I will take down the river."
Altman was then instructed to contact Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
, and he acknowledged the instruction. However, he did not contact the tower at Newark. It later transpired that, in acknowledging the instruction to contact Newark, Altman had read back the wrong frequency (127.8 MHz instead of 127.85); an error that the controller did not correct. Soon after, a controller at Newark who was concerned about aircraft in the Piper's path contacted the Teterboro controller and asked the Teterboro controller to attempt to re-establish contact. Attempts to contact Altman and change his aircraft's heading were unsuccessful. After the unsuccessful attempts to contact Altman, a radar alert about a possible collision occurred in both the Newark and Teterboro towers. However, the two controllers did not remember seeing or hearing the alert.
While heading south down river, the airplane was seen to be behind the sightseeing helicopter, which was going about half as fast. The pilot of another helicopter (refueling at the heliport) saw the impending accident and attempted to warn both the airborne helicopter and the plane by radio but received no response. At 11:53:14 a.m., the Piper's right wing crashed into the Eurocopter, severing the right wing of the airplane and multiple rotor blades from the helicopter. Most witnesses reported the plane did a nose dive while spiraling into the water. Many reported that the helicopter just dropped into the water. The collision occurred at approximately 1100 feet (335.3 m) MSL
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
altitude and was caught on tape by an Italian tourist. Less than a minute after the collision occurred, the Teterboro controller contacted the Newark tower to inquire about the airplane, and was told that the airplane had not contacted Newark.
Killed in the airplane were the pilot Steven Altman, his brother Daniel, and his nephew Douglas. The helicopter tourists were in two groups; the first was Michele Norelli and his son, Filippo Norelli. The other group was Fabio Gallazzi, his wife, Tiziana Pedroni, and his son, Giacomo Gallazzi. The pilot of the helicopter was New Zealander Jeremy Clarke, who had logged 2,700 hours as a helicopter pilot. All recovered victims died from blunt trauma to the head, torso and extremities, according the NYC medical examiner's office.
National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
weather conditions at noon in New York City stations on the day of the collision were described as "sunny" or "partly sunny" with a temperature of between 73 °F and 75 °F and variable wind speed of 3–10 mph (4.8–16.1 km/h; 2.6–8.7 kn).
Authorities said the Piper's "low wing" design made it difficult to see below the aircraft and the helicopter's rotors make it difficult to see above. In addition, neither small aircraft was required to have a flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
or cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
.
Rescue
Immediately following the accident the Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
had reported that the New York City Fire Department
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...
(FDNY) had rescued one survivor from the Hudson River; however, this report was shown to be incorrect. In addition to FDNY, six rescue boat crews from Coast Guard Station New York, a Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, several Coast Guard Auxiliary assets, the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
(NYPD), New Jersey State Police
New Jersey State Police
The New Jersey State Police is the state police force for the state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with state wide jurisdiction when requested by the Governor, designated by Troop Sectors.-History:...
, and local emergency services all participated in the rescue effort. The Red Cross and the New York Harbor Police also assisted in the efforts. At about 3:00 p.m., Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, the mayor of New York, addressed questions in a press conference. Calling the crash "an accident which we do not believe was survivable," Bloomberg announced that the mission was no longer a rescue mission, but rather a recovery mission.
On the night of August 8, 2009, the US Coast Guard maintained a two-mile safety zone from the Holland Tunnel to the Lincoln Tunnel, requiring vessels to move slowly and stay within 400 yards of the Manhattan side while passing through the area. The safety zone was maintained by the Coast Guard cutter Penobscot Bay.
Recovery
On the afternoon of the crash, divers had recovered two bodies from the water. By the next morning, a total of four bodies were found, while the other five victims were presumed dead. Meanwhile, the helicopter's wreckage was found in about 30 feet (9.1 m) of water, far from the wreckage fields of the plane. Aided by a sonar, investigators attempted to discover the plane's debris in deeper water near the mid-channel point of the Hudson. Their efforts were hindered, however, due to poor visibility underwater and a storm on August 9.The efforts succeeded on August 10, when the plane's wreckage was discovered in approximately 60 ft of water. The plane wreckage was recovered from the river on the afternoon of August 11. Additionally, the last few bodies were found in the wreckage of the plane, ending the search for bodies. The recovery effort was led by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
with the aid of NYPD boats, New Jersey State Police divers, and the FDNY.
Investigation
An investigation was conducted by the National Transportation Safety BoardNational Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB), which sent a Go Team on the day of the crash. Senior NTSB Air Safety Investigator Robert Gretz was the Investigator-in-Charge of the 10-member team. NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman accompanied the team and served as principal spokesperson for the on-scene investigation.
Keith Holloway is the NTSB press officer who joined the team in New York.
On August 14, 2009, the NTSB released a report regarding the incident. The report discussed several aspects of the collision, including locations of origin of the aircraft, planned destination, and air traffic control communications. In addition, the report discussed how one of the controllers at Teterboro Airport was on a phone call and did not warn the airplane pilot of the potential conflict. The National Air Traffic Controller's Union (NATCA) then issued their own press release disputing some of the phrasing in the NTSB's report. The NTSB then retracted some of its statements regarding the controller's part in the crash, saying that the controller could not have warned the plane about the tour helicopter because the tour helicopter was not on the controller's radar. The NTSB also removed NATCA as a party to the investigation as a result of NATCA's press release, which was prohibited by NTSB rules. NATCA may still submit information to the board regarding the accident, but they will not hold a seat on the investigation board.
Due to the accident, the FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
put the Teterboro controller and his supervisor on leave and made comments about the phone call, which was deemed improper behavior. However, the NTSB rebuked the FAA for doing so, stating that only the NTSB has the authority to determine the controller's contribution to the incident.
Reaction
Reaction from government officials, aviation industry groups, and individuals has been widespread. The FAA convened a "New York Airspace Working Group" on August 14, 2009. The group will solicit comments from helicopter and aircraft operators, and will review the operating procedures of the Hudson and East RiverEast River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
VFR corridors. They will report to FAA administrator Babbitt on August 28. A NOTAM
NOTAM
NOTAM or NoTAM is the quasi-acronym for a "Notice To Airmen". NOTAMs are created and transmitted by government agencies and airport operators under guidelines specified by Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services of the Convention on International Civil Aviation...
issued on August 11, 2009 advises pilots flying in the area to turn on their lights, use the designated self-announce radio frequencies, and fly at a speed of 140 knots or less.
15 members of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, led by Representative Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold Lewis "Jerry" Nadler is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1992. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes the west side of Manhattan from the Upper West Side down to Battery Park, including the site where the World Trade Center stood...
(D-New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
), sent a letter to FAA administrator J. Randolph Babbitt calling for "immediate action to provide greater oversight of small aircraft operations".
In a press conference on August 8, 2009, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
(an airplane and helicopter pilot himself) stated that "Until the National Transportation Safety Board makes a determination, nothing is a fact" and stressed that the investigation will take weeks or months before those facts are known. Representatives from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), including AOPA President Craig Fuller, have appeared on numerous news programs and collaborated with news sources to explain the workings of the Hudson River VFR corridor and the safety record of flights in that area.
NTSB recommendations
The NTSB issued a "Safety Recommendation" to the FAA on August 27, 2009. Because of the accident airplane's intended flight path, the NTSB believes that the pilot may have wanted to climb out of the uncontrolled VFRVisual flight rules
Visual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...
corridor into the controlled Class B airspace above. However, for reasons unknown as yet, he was not in communication with any air traffic controllers after he switched frequencies from Teterboro tower. He also apparently was not communicating on the Corridor's self-announce frequency.
The NTSB recommended that the FAA revise the procedures for ATC
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
facilities in the area to facilitate the process for VFR traffic that wishes to transit Class B airspace. This included establishing procedures to coordinate such requests between facilities; requiring controllers to instruct pilots to self-announce on the VFR corridor frequency if they are unable to immediately enter Class B airspace; adding information to area Automatic Terminal Information Service
Automatic Terminal Information Service
Automatic Terminal Information Service, or ATIS, is a continuous broadcast of recorded noncontrol information in busier terminal areas. ATIS broadcasts contain essential information, such as weather information, which runways are active, available approaches, and any other information required by...
(ATIS) broadcasts reminding pilots to use the self-announce frequency; and ensuring that pilots are provided with traffic advisories if they are in contact with a controller.
Additionally, the NTSB recommended that ATC controllers and supervisors be briefed in the circumstances of this accident; that a Special Flight Rules Area
Special Flight Rules Area
In United States aviation, a Special Flight Rules Area is a region in which the normal regulations of flight do not apply in whole or in part, especially regulations concerning airspace classification, altitude, course, and speed restrictions, and the like.Examples of SFRAs include those...
(SFRA) be established for the location requiring special training for pilots transiting the area; and that helicopters be required to operate at lower altitudes than airplanes in the corridor to minimize the speed differences.
FAA changes
On September 2, 2009 the FAA announced a plan to improve safety of flights in the corridor. The proposed changes include standardizing the height of the VFR corridor to 1300 feet (396.2 m). In addition, many existing procedures that have been treated as "Suggested" items for flying the corridor will now be mandatory, including operating landing lights; maintaining a speed of 140 knots (170.5 mph) or less while flying in the corridor; monitoring and announcing on the area Common Traffic Advisory Frequency; and travelling along the west shore when southbound and along the east shore when northbound. Pilots will be required to have appropriate charts available, and to familiarize themselves with the applicable rules before flying in the corridor. Additionally, pilot training courses for both transient pilots and charter helicopter pilots will be developed. An implementation timeline was not initially announced.On November 16, 2009, the FAA announced that the new rules for the Hudson River corridor would go into effect on November 19, 2009, at 4 P.M. The FAA elaborated on the new rules from their previous announcement. In the clarifications, they said that three air traffic zones for different purposes would be instituted. Under 1000 feet (304.8 m), planes and helicopters for sightseeing and lingering would be allowed. From 1000 to 1300 ft (304.8 to 396.2 m), aircraft would be allowed to fly without air traffic control handling. Above 1300 feet (396.2 m), aircraft would be allowed to traverse the corridor under the handling of air traffic control.
External links
- Analysis of Mid-Air Collisions, One of the most hazardous consequences of a loss of separation between aircraft, including as a result of a level bust, is a mid-air collision. -- SKYbrarySKYbrarySKYbrary is a wiki created by the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, International Civil Aviation Organization, and the Flight Safety Foundation to create a comprehensive source of aviation safety information freely available online. It was launched in May 2008 on a platform...
- Flight track data for N71MC, the PA-32 involved in the crash, from flightwise.com
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Report 10/05: Midair Collision over Hudson River, August 8, 2009