Suspensions over Hudson air crash

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A US air traffic controller who was making a personal call when a small jet and a helicopter collided over New York's Hudson River has been suspended.

His supervisor, who was absent from the flight control building at the time, was also placed on leave.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it had no reason to believe their actions contributed to the crash, but the conduct was "unacceptable".

All nine people aboard the two aircraft died in last Saturday's crash.

Three members of a US family, including a pilot, were on the plane, while the helicopter had five Italian tourists and a pilot.

The collision occurred between Hoboken, in New Jersey, and Manhattan, just across the river.

All the bodies were later retrieved from the Hudson River.

In a separate development, an amateur video surfaced on Friday that captured the moment of impact between the two aircraft.

The video shows the plane appearing behind the helicopter and clipping its rotor blades. Both aircraft then fall in the river.

'Inappropriate conversations'

In a statement, the FAA said that the controller at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and his supervisor had been placed on administrative leave.

It said the controller had been found to be involved in "apparently inappropriate conversations" at the time of the crash.

The two employees have not been identified.

The FAA also said that it had begun disciplinary proceedings against the two workers.

The accident has prompted calls for stricter monitoring and control of low-flying air traffic in the crowded space over the Hudson River, the BBC's Greg Wood in New York reports.

'Clear' weather

The helicopter was operated by Liberty Helicopters, a sightseeing company that flies tourists around sites such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The light plane took off from Teterboro and was heading to Ocean City in the same state, an aviation official said.

The weather at the time of the collision, noon local time (1600 GMT) on Saturday, was said to be clear.

In January, a passenger plane with 155 people aboard ditched into the Hudson River without loss of life, after apparently hitting a flock of geese.