The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is revising flight procedures to create safe, dedicated operating corridors for all the aircraft that fly at lower altitudes around Manhattan and over the Hudson River.
A New York Airspace Task Force chartered by the FAA developed a comprehensive series of recommendations that the FAA plans to implement as quickly as possible. The recommendations come in the wake of the Aug. 8 midair collision of a tourist helicopter and a Piper Saratoga.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said "these steps will significantly enhance safety in this busy area and create crystal-clear rules for all of the pilots who operate there."
The Piper Saratoga and the sightseeing helicopter carrying a pilot and five Italian tourists collided over the river, killing all nine people aboard both aircraft. The single- engine fixed wing PA-32R-300 (N71MC) ran into the rear of the Liberty Helicopter Tours Eurocopter AS 350 BA (N401LH) as the two aircraft were flying in the same direction.
The fatal accident took place in a narrow corridor of airspace over the river reserved for aircraft operating under "see and avoid" rules. The Piper Saratoga, which had taken off from the Teterboro Airport (TEB) was heading south over the river to Ocean City (NJ) Municipal Airport (26N). The helicopter, had just taken off from the West 30th Street Heliport (JRA) on the West Side of Manhattan for a 12-minute sightseeing tour.
Helicopter pilots and others who frequently fly the Hudson sightseeing route, which keeps them under 1,000 feet in altitude, rely on special operating procedures, including broadcasting on and monitoring of a dedicated radio frequency designed to make pilots aware of nearby traffic. Such transmissions are recommended but aren’t required.
The area surrounding the major airports in New York City is designated Class B airspace. Pilots are required to get permission from air traffic control (ATC) to enter Class B airspace and to follow ATC instructions once there. The mid-air occurred in the Hudson River Class B exclusion area, a passageway through New York City area Class B airspace that permits (non-air carrier) aircraft to fly north and south along the Hudson River without authorization from air traffic controllers.
Aircraft, such as the Piper involved in the fatal accident, departing Teterboro airport for destinations to the south or southeast must either request ATC clearance to enter the Class B airspace or circumnavigate the Class B airspace around Newark airport to the west or use the Hudson River Class B exclusion area. In the Hudson River Class B exclusion area, they are required to remain at or below 1,100 feet.
The safety enhancements recommended by the Task Force would restructure the airspace, mandate pilot operating rules, create a new entry point into the Hudson River airspace from Teterboro, standardize New York area charts and develop new training for pilots, air traffic controllers and businesses that operate helicopters and aircraft in the area.
One of the most significant changes, if adopted, would divide the airspace into altitude corridors that separate aircraft flying over the river from those operating to and from local heliports or seaplane bases.
Specifically, this new exclusionary zone would be comprised of three components:
- It would establish a uniform "floor" for the Class B airspace over the Hudson River at 1,300 feet, which would also serve as the "ceiling" for the exclusionary zone.
- Between 1,300-2,000 feet, it would require aircraft to operate in the Class B airspace under visual flight rules but under positive air traffic control, and to communicate on the appropriate air traffic frequency.
- Between 1,000-1,300 feet, it would require aircraft using VFR to use a common radio frequency for the Hudson River. Aircraft operating below 1,000 feet would use the same radio frequency.
New pilot operating practices would require pilots to use specific radio frequencies for the Hudson River and the East River, would set speeds at 140 knots or less, and would require pilots to turn on anti-collision devices, position or navigation equipment and landing lights. They would also require pilots to announce when they enter the area and to report their aircraft description, location, direction and altitude.
Existing common practices that take pilots along the west shore of the river when they are southbound and along the east shore when they are northbound would become mandatory. In addition, pilots would be required to have charts available and to be familiar with the airspace rules.
The FAA also intends to propose standardized procedures for fixed-wing aircraft leaving Teterboro to enter the Class B airspace over the Hudson River or the exclusionary zone. If an aircraft plans to enter the Class B airspace, Teterboro controllers would request approval from Newark before the aircraft takes off and be authorized to climb the aircraft to 1,500 feet. Aircraft that want to enter the VFR exclusionary zone would be directed by a special route over the George Washington Bridge.
The FAA expects to complete and publish any changes in time to have them in effect by November 19, so that they can be incorporated on new, standardized aeronautical charts that will replace existing charts. The charts will highlight the Class B VFR corridor, encouraging more pilots to exercise the option to fly over the Hudson River under air traffic control, instead of entering the congested exclusionary zone.
Finally, the FAA intends to develop training programs specifically tailored for pilots, air traffic controllers and fixed-base operators to increase awareness of the options available in the Hudson River airspace, and better develop plans that enhance safety for the intended flight.
"We have reinforced how important it is to follow the recommended procedures and maintain professional conduct until we put the new mandatory measures in place,” said Babbitt. "These new safety steps incorporate the collective experience of pilots who fly in that airspace as well as our own air traffic controllers and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association."
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued independent recommendations on August 27 that were not used in the development of the task force’s safety enhancements. The FAA says its proposed actions meet or exceed the NTSB’s recommendations.
The Safety Board urged the FAA to separate helicopters and fixed-wing general aviation planes in the busy Hudson River air corridor. Sending five safety recommendations to the FAA, the NTSB called for new air traffic control procedures and flight restrictions in the crowded airspace, including a requirement that private airplanes operate at a higher altitude than rotorcraft.
The NTSB also urged the FAA to direct air traffic controllers to issue traffic warnings to small planes entering airspace over the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York and to speed up controller communications so planes can get cleared sooner for higher altitudes. The Safety Board also wants controllers to instruct pilots of fixed-wing aircraft to monitor the radio frequency used by helicopter pilots.
Meantime, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) offered a series of measures on air traffic management over the Hudson River, saying the FAA should monitor all rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft flights below 1,000 feet, and implement higher safety standards for commercial sightseeing tour operations, including more pilot training. All the low-flying aircraft would have to file flight plans.
