- Date
- August 8, 2009, 11:53 local (15:53 UTC)
- Place
- Hoboken, NJ
- Injuries
- 9 fatal
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Defining events
- Enroute-cruise: Midair collisionEnroute-cruise: Midair collision
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 2010
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- Liberty Helicopters, Piper, FAA AAI-100
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA reports
- 20090808017862A20090808017851A
- Case key
- 74473
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
(1) the inherent limitations of the see-and-avoid concept, which made it difficult for the airplane pilot to see the helicopter until the final seconds before the collision, and (2) the Teterboro Airport local controller’s nonpertinent telephone conversation, which distracted him from his air traffic control (ATC) duties, including correcting the airplane pilot’s read back of the Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) tower frequency and the timely transfer of communications for the accident airplane to the EWR tower. Contributing to this accident were (1) both pilots’ ineffective use of available information from their aircraft’s electronic traffic advisory system to maintain awareness of nearby aircraft, (2) inadequate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) procedures for transfer of communications among ATC facilities near the Hudson River Class B exclusion area; and (3) FAA regulations that did not provide adequate vertical separation for aircraft operating in the Hudson River Class B exclusion area.
Findings · 10
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
N71MC · Piper PA-32R-300
N401LH · Eurocopter AS 350 BA
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
N71MC · Piper PA-32R-300
N401LH · Eurocopter AS 350 BA
Analysis
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2010/AAR1005.htm The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/05. On August 8, 2009, at 1153:14 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N71MC, and a Eurocopter AS350BA helicopter, N401LH, operated by Liberty Helicopters, collided over the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jersey. The pilot and two passengers aboard the airplane and the pilot and five passengers aboard the helicopter were killed, and both aircraft received substantial damage from the impact. The airplane flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, and the helicopter flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Parts 135 and 136. No flight plans were filed or were required for either flight, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2010/AAR1005.htm The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/05. On August 8, 2009, at 1153:14 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N71MC, and a Eurocopter AS350BA helicopter, N401LH, operated by Liberty Helicopters, collided over the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jersey. The pilot and two passengers aboard the airplane and the pilot and five passengers aboard the helicopter were killed, and both aircraft received substantial damage from the impact. The airplane flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, and the helicopter flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Parts 135 and 136. No flight plans were filed or were required for either flight, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N71MC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7680172
- Airframe hours
- 4,505
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Steven M Altman
- Registered owner
- Lca Partnership
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 2, 2009
- Departed
- TEB · Teterboro, NJ
- Destination
- 26N · Ocean City, NJ
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
- Registration
- N401LH
- Reported as
- Eurocopter AS 350 BA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3059
- Airframe hours
- 13,095
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B, 681 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Liberty Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Meridian Consulting I Corp Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 2, 2009 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- JRA · New York, NY
- Destination
- JRA · New York, NY
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N71MC
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 12, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,121 total · 834 in this make and model · 1,041 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N401LH
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 24, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,150 total · 1,198 in this make and model · 2,728 as pilot in command · 189 in the last 90 days · 76 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- TEB, 7 nm away
Docket · 41
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 28, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 35.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.