Dead Cat on Runway Distracted Controller

A bizarre new detail has surfaced about last weekend's deadly crash over the Hudson River: The air traffic controller guiding the small plane that collided with a helicopter was having a "silly" phone conversation about a dead cat before the accident, and initially failed to warn the pilot of the other aircraft in his path. Shortly after he cleared the single-engine plane for takeoff from Teterboro Airport, the controller made the phone call—to an airport contractor—and remained on the phone while further instructing the plane's pilot, officials say. (The dead cat in question had apparently been removed from the airport.) Once the controller became aware of the danger, he tried unsuccessfully to contact the plane's pilot before the accident. The controller and his supervisor are currently on administrative leave, awaiting an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.