NTSB Preliminary Data on Hudson River Collision

[cobrala]

They were converging too which makes it so difficult to see the traffic because this is very little relative movement. Its like a little dot all of a sudden grows really fast into an airplane in you window

[cobrala]

Also, i have over a 1000 hours flying out of Teterboro and the Hudson VFR is a challenge because those helicopters are very unpredictable. When I would fly south I tried to avoid the Hudson and fly west over Caldwell and Morristown. Also I know this controller and he's worked me hundreds of times and he is a very good controller I can vouch for that

[cobrala]

Im so hurt by this because he probably tuned the wrong freq on accident which even I do sometimes. But you have to get back to the previous freq to ask for clarification. Also, in VFR it is ultimately the pilots responsibity to "see and avoid" but with a low wing aircraft the helicopter looked like he flew right into his blind spot below the wing. I think the Helicopter is more responsible because and it seems he flew into the piper.

[MoonZaboom]

It's pretty clear that the Piper pilot tuned in the wrong frequency and took himself out of flight following. Assumably when he changed he did not get an answer (wrong frequency) and should have called back Teterboro to say the frequency again. If he had the Teterboro tower would have likely:

> Called the helicopter traffic for him; and

> Then given him the correct frequency.

A sad sequence of events, that added up to a collision.

[craigs1001]

They make it seem as if the Piper flew into the helicopter. Looks like the helicopter flew into the Piper. All the news reports says the piper pilot ran into the helicopter making it appear it was his fault.

[SusanMSimmons]

If personal phone calls are NOT allowed while on duty, what were the consequences to the controller for busting this rule?  Sad 9 people died & the controller might have prevented it.

[N21X]

That is the same reason CTAF scares me. You don't know who is NORDO and sometimes you can't even pick out an aircraft over the numbers.

Be safe out there.

[dubba919]

Did I understand correctly that the controller was on a personal phone call while on station? Is that allowed?

[KuostA]

yes he was. no it isnt.

[PxPirate]

I have flown the Hudson river corridor, and those helicopters are very difficult to spot from above. This is scary stuff.

[rcplaneguy1]

also, how did they not see eachother??!?!?!?!?

[DODwebdotorg]

Its amazing how hard it is spotting a small aircraft, especially in a setting like that. The low-winged Piper has very limited downward view, and the helicopter has somewhat limited upward view. Also, its easy to be lulled into a sense of relative security with ATC supposedly monitoring everything bigger than a seagull in the air - and forgetting that the pilot has ultimate responsibility. Routine is another point-of-failiure I can think of.

[rcplaneguy1]

interesting....

[IdleGod]

All that, caused by a simple 127.85 to 127.87 error, with 2 people talking at once?