Hudson River Air Collision Renews Calls For Increased Regulation

The air collision between a tourist helicopter and a private plane killing nine people has once again sparked a debate over the regulation of low flying aircraft in and around New York City.

The last time this debate occurred was in the aftermath of the death of Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle whose plane crashed into a high rise apartment building, killing Lidle and his instructor.

This crash occurred over the Hudson River near Hoboken, and nine people were killed in all. Seven people have so far been recovered from the waters of the Hudson River, and the NYPD and emergency personnel continue searching the murky waters for the other two victims, along with the Piper Cub airplane. The helicopter was recovered yesterday, and it's hoped that the aircraft can give clues as to why the crash occurred.

Many in the industry and critics content that this was an accident waiting to happen. They're right as the air above the Hudson is a heavily trafficked corridor for tour operators flying tourists around New York Harbor to see the sights, including the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero.

Normally, aircraft flying below 1,100 feet are not required to make contact with New York regional air traffic controllers, and it's possible that this crash may require additional regulation of aircraft flying in the area.

"We're playing a game of Russian roulette . . . There are 25,000 helicopter trips a year, and no one has to talk to anyone," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

He said that at the very least, pilots should be required to use the frequency and also talk to air-traffic controllers, regardless of their altitude.

Small planes and helicopters also should be required to have traffic collision avoidance systems, or TCAS, which notify pilots of approaching aircraft, Stringer said. They cost from $10,000 to $30,000 apiece.

The Hudson, which is less than three-quarters of a mile wide, serves as an air highway for helicopters, police patrols and small planes.

"That's not a lot of space," said Ray Adams, president of the air-traffic controllers union at Newark Airport. "And it's not unusual at all for us to have 10 to 20 aircraft between the George Washington Bridge and the Statue of Liberty."

Pilots can fly over the Hudson without permission if they stay below 1,100 feet so they don't interfere with jets flying to and from the city's three major airports.

But Dan Rose, a lawyer and pilot who has flown the Hudson, said helicopters should be separated from fixed-wing aircraft to avoid a repeat of Saturday's disaster.

Helicopters should be limited to 500 feet and fixed-wing craft to 1,100, he said.

It's a good idea for someone to manage the airspace, but the air traffic controllers in the region are already overtaxed with the commercial aircraft flying into the three major regional airports - and whose aircraft routinely fly over or near the Hudson at a much higher level.

In addition to the eminently sensible idea of separating fixed wing and helicopter flights by altitude, they should probably institute a corridor on each side of the Hudson to account for North- and South-bound traffic. This way, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are segregated and the flow managed in a better way, improving safety on the ground and in the air.

The problem is that we still don't know the precise reason why the Piper Cub was in this particular airspace and why there was no communication between the helicopter and the plane.

UPDATE:
Reports indicate that the Piper Cub may have been located under the Hudson River.

UPDATE:

 

The photo shows ongoing efforts by a Coast Guard ship and a NYPD boat in the vicinity of where the plane and helicopter crashed. It was taken from Battery Park City using my Canon Rebel XTi with the Tamron 28-300mm XR Di VC (image stabilizer).