FAA Releases Hudson Controller Recording

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Federal Aviation Administration has made public a 29-minute recording between a Teterboro controller and his friend just before a midair collision between a helicopter and a small aircraft over the Hudson River. The controller was engaged in a conversation with a woman about a dead cat she had found near the airport and hung up seconds before the crash. During the conversation, the controller can be heard laughing and joking with his friend while directing aircraft in the region. Nine people died as a result of the Aug. 8 crash. FAA has not identified the controller but suspended him along with a supervisor. According to the NTSB, the pilot of the small aircraft, Steven Altman, apparently misunderstood the Teterboro controller’s instructions to transfer to Newark controllers. To see a video involving this story, click here.
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