WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. regulators called for changes in air traffic over the Hudson River to help prevent another midair collision like the one that killed nine people Aug. 8.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended Thursday that helicopters and planes fly at different altitudes and that pilots undergo specialized training before being allowed to fly along the Hudson and around the Statue of Liberty, The New York Times reported.
The recommendations came in a letter to J. Randolph Babbitt, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, about three weeks after a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane collided and fell into the Hudson.
The advisory is a break with practice for the NTSB. Normally the agency makes recommendations only after its investigation, which typically takes about a year.
The NTSB pointed to the need for pilots to receive air-traffic advisories and safety alerts during flights and noted navigating along the river -- where about 200 aircraft fly daily -- can require use of more than one radio frequency. The board wants pilots to be urged to listen to a common radio frequency, announce their position and listen for other traffic, the Times said.
The burden for avoiding collisions in lower altitudes over the river now falls primarily on pilots, charged with looking out their windows for other aircraft.
An FAA advisory panel also has been looking into the collision and is to send a preliminary report Friday to Babbitt.
