Assesment of Mid-Air Collision over the Hudson

Abstract

This paper explores an accident that happened over the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jersey on 08 August 2009, between the pilots of a Eurocopter AS350BA helicopter, N401LH, operated by Liberty Helicopters and the pilot of a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N71MC. The following goes over the actions of both pilots and the actions of the local air traffic control towers, with the final outcome of a mid-air collision resulting in the loss of the pilot and five passengers traveling in the Eurocopter and the loss of the pilot and the two passengers aboard the Piper airplane.

Mid-Air Collision Over the Hudson River

This accident focuses on a wider problem, which points out the difficulty that pilots have in seeing other traffic and avoiding collisions. Numerous aircraft collisions have been on the rise. In 1994, there was a reclassification of North American Airspace which failed to provide information on operational areas for any air tours. It also does not mention anything about technological aids that could be used to help prevent such accidents from happening. This is where the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs to improve the collision avoidance information that it provides to its pilots since this information has not been replaced or updated since 1983.

The Helicopter

The helicopter, from Liberty Helicopters, was leaving West 30th Street Heliport (JRA) on a twelve minute tour flight to the Statue of Liberty and back. The tour route was determined by the pilot and traveled mainly along the Hudson River in a Class B exclusion area. This exclusion area means that aircrafts can fly north and south along the Hudson River without authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC). Once the pilot had begun its tour, he traveled westbound and climbed to an altitude of one thousand feet and then turned southbound to follow the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty. While en route, the pilot called in his position to Liberty Helicopters, where he stated...