An air traffic controller making a personal phone call initially failed to warn a small plane of other aircraft in its path and then tried unsuccessfully to contact the pilot, U.S. government safety officials said Friday according to dpa. Moments later, the plane collided with an tour helicopter over the New York's Hudson River, killing nine people, including five Italian tourists. The controller and the supervisor on duty at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey at the time of last Saturday's accident have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a report that the controller _ who has not been identified _ cleared the single-engine Piper for takeoff at 11:48 a.m. EDT, and then made a personal call. He remained on the phone, including while further instructing the plane's pilot, until the accident occurred. After takeoff, the plane flew southbound until the controller directed it to turn left toward the river, the report said. At 11:52 a.m. the controller instructed the plane to contact air traffic control at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport, which monitors low-flying traffic over the river, but does not attempt to separate aircraft. The pilot apparently did not contact Newark, the report said.
