I keep meaning to tell you guys that I am on Twitter. If you are already signed up for Twitter then you can follow me simply by clicking on the “follow” button on my Twitter page.

Or you can just visit akaSylvia on Twitter and see my updates there (no need to sign up for anything). My most recent tweets are in the left sidebar so you can also get the updates just by visiting this blog.

My Twitter stream has very little overlap with my website. I talk about all kinds of things, not just aviation, and I use it for the small things that don’t seem worth a full blog post for.

What will you find? Well, I link interesting web pages that I have found: fun videos and jokes and interesting news and exceptional blog pieces. I enjoy it because it’s a great way to make friends and chitchat.

I don’t use automated alerts at all – everything on my Twitter-stream is typed in by me. So you won’t get spammed although I often do a quick tweet to let people know a new blogpost is up.

And I have never, ever tweeted what I had for breakfast. Coffee and cottage cheese, if you are wondering.

So, if you are interested in a little bit more of me and fun links then follow me on Twitter. And be sure to say hello !

This Press Advisory just in. The bold text is my addition.

NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
August 17, 2009

NTSB RELIEVES AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS GROUP OF PARTY STATUS IN HUDSON RIVER MIDAIR COLLISION INVESTIGATION

The National Transportation Safety Board today removed the National Air Traffic Controllers Association as a party to its investigation into the August 8 midair collision of two aircraft over the Hudson River that killed all 9 persons aboard.

Under the Safety Board’s procedures, organizations and agencies are invited to participate in NTSB investigations if they can provide technical expertise. At the outset of the investigation, the organizations sign an agreement to abide by NTSB party rules. Among the rules parties agree to is that they will not reveal investigative information being learned through that process, nor publicly comment on it. Parties agree that only the NTSB will release factual information on the progress of the investigation and discuss the progress of the investigation with the public, including the news media.

On Friday, August 14, NATCA convened a press conference to discuss information released earlier that day by the NTSB. The organization was subsequently reminded of its responsibilities as a party to the investigation. This morning, NATCA issued a press release again discussing the information released, and conducted another press conference this afternoon.

Patrick Forrey, NATCA President, was informed today that his organization has been removed as a party to the investigation.

In light of conflicting interpretations of factual information released by the NTSB on Friday, the Board takes this opportunity to address the issue of the Teterboro controller’s interaction with the accident airplane in the minutes before the collision:

According to preliminary data provided to the Safety Board by the Federal Aviation Administration, the controller cleared the accident airplane for departure at 11:48:30. The first radar target for the airplane was detected at 11:49:55, at about 300 feet. The controller initiated a non-business-related telephone conversation at 11:50:31. Prior to the Teterboro controller instructing the pilot to contact Newark Tower at 1152:20, there were several aircraft in the Hudson River Class B Exclusion Area in the vicinity of the airplane, some of which were potential traffic conflicts. These were detected by radar and displayed on the controller’s scope in Teterboro tower. The Teterboro controller did not alert the airplane pilot to this traffic prior to instructing him to change his radio frequency and contact Newark. The accident helicopter was not visible on the Teterboro controller’s radar scope at 1152:20; it did appear on radar 7 seconds later – at approximately 400 feet.

At 1152:54, 20 seconds prior to the collision, the radar data processing system detected a conflict between the accident airplane and the accident helicopter, which set off aural alarms and caused a “conflict alert” indication to appear on the radar displays at both Teterboro and Newark towers. The controller terminated his non-business-related telephone call at 11:53:13. The collision occurred at 11:53:14.

As the Safety Board stated in its media release on Friday, the role that air traffic control might have played in this accident will be determined by the NTSB as the investigation progresses. The Board is waiting for more detailed air traffic control-related data from the Federal Aviation Administration. Any opinions rendered at this time are speculative and premature.

“Although we appreciate the technical expertise our parties provide during the course of an investigation,” NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said, “it is counterproductive when an organization breaches the party agreement and publicly interprets or comments on factual information generated by that investigation. Our rules are set up precisely to avoid the prospect of each party offering their slant on the information. I regret that we have had to remove NATCA from the investigation.”

###

NTSB Press Contact:

Ted Lopatkiewicz
(202) 314-6100
lopatt@ntsb.gov

No details from the NTSB yet but here is the media information available at the moment.

9 Dead After Copter and Plane Collide Over Hudson – NYTimes.com

The cause of the accident was under investigation. But what perhaps thousands of people out on a crystalline summer day saw from both sides of the Hudson was a stunning, low-altitude accident in which the plane rolled up and into the helicopter, striking with a crack like thunder as the helicopter’s blades and one of the plane’s wings flew off, and then both aircraft fell and vanished into the river.

Fatal midair crash over Hudson raises questions – USATODAY.com

At an afternoon briefing Monday, Hersman said an eight-day NTSB survey of the river corridor before the collision had counted about 225 aircraft flying within a 3-mile radius of the collision site each day.

The airspace where many of these tour craft fly is below 1,100 feet, where pilots are largely free to choose their own routes, radioing their positions periodically but not communicating regularly with air traffic controllers.

Hersman said air traffic controllers at Teterboro (New Jersey) Airport told the pilot of the small plane to switch radio frequencies so controllers at Newark (New Jersey) Airport could communicate with him. She said Newark controllers never made contact with the pilot before the crash.

Hudson Crash Bares Friction Between Safety Board and F.A.A. – NYTimes.com

She said the agency was considering an immediate reaction to the Hudson crash: making it mandatory for pilots in the uncontrolled air corridor to announce their location and intentions on a common radio frequency whose use is now voluntary.

“We welcome their taking some action, but we certainly don’t feel it goes far enough, said Robert M. Gottheim, district manager for Congressman Jerrold L. Nadler, a Democrat who represents the West Side of Manhattan.

Pilots caution against tighter rules in wake of tragedy – The Connecticut Post Online

“We would not support closing the corridor because there are less onerous ways to address safety concerns,” Chris Dancy said.

Dancy speaks for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, an industry group that represents the general aviation industry. General aviation refers to private pilots.

Among those measures could be to separate helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, Dancy said. But the AOPA will wait until the National Transportation Safety Board completes its work and will then analyze its report.

“In this particular case what needs to be done is to give the NTSB the time to investigate,” Dancy said. “Then we as an organization are ready to look at all the alternatives to improve safety.”

The Associated Press: Plane pilot in Hudson collision had clean record

Altman had a clean record and was instrument-rated, meaning he was trained to fly in poor weather if necessary, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. His medical clearance was up to date, the only restriction being he needed glasses for nearsightedness.

“He was perfectly legal and qualified to fly that aircraft,” FAA spokesman Jim Peters said Monday.

FAA suspends 2 air traffic controllers over Hudson crash – CNN.com

A source with knowledge of the investigation said the controller was on the phone with his girlfriend “after he cleared the pilot for takeoff; he was still on the phone at the time of the crash.”

In addition, “the supervisor was not present in the building as required,” Brown said.

“While we have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident, this kind of conduct is unacceptable, and we have placed the employees on administrative leave and have begun disciplinary proceedings,” she said.

I don’t have a new opinion piece for you today but I did put together a selection of aviation news from the past week. Unfortunately, plane crashes have dominated the headlines.

Aviation Headlines

Cessna takes off without pilot – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

A light aircraft has taken off at Coober Pedy in outback South Australia without the pilot.

Continental Airlines Flight 128 makes emergency landing in Miami after getting slammed by turbulence

Four people aboard Continental Airlines Flight 128 were seriously injured, and 10 others had to be taken to hospitals, authorities said.

Eight hurt on Spanish jet at Paris airport – Yahoo! News UK

The plane was evacuated after the fire began on the Airbus A320’s right engine at 10:36 a.m. (9:36 a.m. British time), as it taxied from the terminal, Vueling said in a communique.

Bangkok Post : 1 confirmed death in Bangkok Airways crash

The plane reportedly skidded off the runway and collided with an old control tower as the captain attemped to land at Samui airport.

Plane Carrying 16 Disappears in Indonesia – International News – FOXNews.com

Nikmatullah, who goes by a single name, said no trace had been found of the plane more then four hours after it took off. The aircraft was carrying enough fuel to keep it in the air for 3 1/2 hours, he told Metro TV station.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Laser owners ‘arrested on sight’

The worst affected areas were regional airports with 15 in Cardiff, 12 in Manchester, nine in Liverpool, nine in Birmingham and seven in Edinburgh.

Update

I posted a number of aerial shots from a flight over England where I was the passenger. One of them has been identified!

Scott Dunn from Yellowbird – The adventures of a boy and his airplane (recommended reading) identified the location in the comments:

The last photo (Abandoned junk in the yard) is Salisbury Hall, originally built in the 1600’s. During WWII, the famous de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber was developed there in secret. The site now hosts the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, where the original Mosquito prototype is on display along with a number of other historic de Havilland aircraft and artifacts.

So now I need to go back so that I can visit the de Havilland Museum from the ground!