A revised view of controller's role in collision
Several days after the tragic collision of a small plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River, the union, airline, and National Transportation Board of Safety (NTBS) have become embroiled in a dispute over where to place the blame. The National Air Traffic Controllers Union contended that the Teterboro airport controller was wrongly blamed for the collision - saying that the helicopter did not appear on his radar until after responsibility was turned over to the Newark airport. In a statement Monday evening, the NTBS said that although the controller was not properly doing his job, it is true that the helicopter did not appear until after the hand-off of responsibility. As a result, the NTBS has removed the Controllers Union from its investigation. A union spokesman expressed gratitude, saying they only wanted to see a factual account of the tragedy.
See "A revised view of controller's role in collision", The New York Times, August 18, 2009