All 9 Presumed Dead After Plane, Chopper Crash

Controller failed to inform him, NTSB report finds

(NEWSER) - An air traffic controller failed to warn the pilot of a plane in last weekend's mid-air collision over the Hudson River, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled today. Chatting on the phone, the controller did not inform the pilot that "there were several aircraft detected by radar in the area immediately ahead of the airplane, including the accident helicopter," said the NTSB. The controller and his supervisor are on paid leave while the FAA begins disciplinary proceedings against them, the Star-Ledger reports. More»

Olympian Torres rode copter over Hudson 2 days before crash

(NEWSER) - Crews searching the Hudson River for the victims of Sunday's collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane located an eighth body yesterday in the submerged plane but were unable to recover it, 1010 WINS radio reports. Rough water and silt impeded the efforts of divers, who suspended work late Monday and planned to resume searching for the ninth and last body Tuesday. More»

(NEWSER) - An Italian mom too frightened to take a helicopter tour of Manhattan saved her life—but lost most of her family as the copter collided with a plane over the Hudson River, reports the New York Daily News. Silvia Rigamonti got cold feet at the last minute. The tour was supposed to be part of her 25th wedding anniversary celebration. Soon after she chickened out, her teenage son, husband, and a family of three who had traveled to New York with Rigamonti's family were dead. More»

Ask applicants what they do when they're not working

(NEWSER) - Hiring tends to be a total crapshoot, Peter Bregman writes in a Harvard Business Review blog. But you'll get better results if you ask applicants one question: What do you do in your spare time? Hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger flies gliders for fun and used to build intricate models. "Perhaps that attention to detail explains why he walked through the cabin twice" after landing safely on the Hudson, Bregman notes. More»

Investigators postpone search for missing engine

(NEWSER) - Both engines on the airplane that crashed into the Hudson River last week lost power simultaneously at 3,200 feet, a clue from black box recorders for investigators still searching for the missing left engine, AP reports. Tugboats have begun hauling wreckage to New Jersey where it will be examined to confirm the pilot's report that a flock of birds damaged the engines. So far, evidence points to a bird strike as a cause of the accident. More»