Washington: 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 said in a statement
yesterday that a controller at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey
and his supervisor have been placed on administrative leave
because the controller was involved in "apparently
inappropriate conversations" at the time of the crash between
a small plane and a tour helicopter that killed nine people.
The agency said while there was no reason to believe thus
far that the employees` actions contributed to the accident,
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.
Bureau Report
