Recent studies have shown that texting and driving can be a dangerous – even deadly – mix. Now a highway safety group has done a "180" and joined the growing chorus for a nationwide ban on texting while driving. CNN's Jason Carroll reports.

(CNN) - The Federal Aviation Administration has suspended two air traffic controllers over last week's collision of two aircraft over the Hudson River that killed nine people, a spokeswoman said.

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/US/08/13/new.york.plane.crash/art.plane.wreckage.wabc.jpg caption="The wreckage of a plane that collided with a helicopter is lifted this week from the Hudson River."]

A controller at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport handling the flight of a Piper airplane carrying three people "was involved in apparently inappropriate conversations on the telephone at the time of the accident," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said in a statement Thursday.

A source with knowledge of the investigation said the controller was on the phone with his girlfriend "after he cleared the pilot for takeoff; he was still on the phone at the time of the crash."

In addition, "the supervisor was not present in the building as required," Brown said.

"While we have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident, this kind of conduct is unacceptable, and we have placed the employees on administrative leave and have begun disciplinary proceedings," she said.

• Watch amateur video of the moment of impact

"These are serious violations of the FAA regulations," said Mary Schiavo, former inspector general for the Transportation Department.

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Summer thunderstorms can mean airport delays. But how about this?

Forty-seven passengers trapped on a plane that wasn't moving on a runway... all night!

The Continental Express jet was flying from Houston to Minneapolis when storms hit. Then their nightmare began.

Link Christin was one of those passengers and he spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN's "American Morning" Tuesday.

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/11/goldfarb.michael.cnn.art.jpg caption="Fmr. FAA Chief of Staff Michael Goldfarb says the time is past due to restrict the airspace over the Hudson River."]

Saturday’s midair collision of a sightseeing helicopter and a single-engine plane over the Hudson River killed nine people. That crash is now raising some new questions about air safety over the Hudson and whether or not the FAA should step in.

Michael Goldfarb is the former FAA chief of staff. He says that airspace should be restricted because there is no public safety value in having small aircraft there. He spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN’s “American Morning” Tuesday.

Kiran Chetry: As we've been learning in the days after this accident, the airspace in this area is virtually unregulated for small planes. And also the very popular sightseeing helicopters can fly under that 1,100 foot ceiling. It’s basically visual flight rules. Is it time for the FAA to start rethinking whether or not there needs to be more regulation in the skies over the Hudson?

Michael Goldfarb: It's way past due, Kiran. They can issue an emergency order this afternoon to airmen and airwomen, restricting that airspace. There's no public safety value having those small aircraft there, basically not under air traffic control, on their own. Some pilot described it that he had an electronic box in his aircraft, like a GPS. Every time there was a plane that came near him or a helicopter or some other kind of vehicle, it would squeak traffic and it was a constant traffic, traffic, traffic.

That's how busy it is. So you're asking a pilot, some of whom have not gone through that kind of airspace, to not only see and be seen, visual flight rules, but they’re also sightseeing, looking at the Statue of Liberty. It's past time to get the small aircraft out of that space. They have LaGuardia at 1,100 feet above them. They have Newark Airport to the right. Too much congestion, too many airplanes.

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NEW YORK (CNN) – Divers went back into the Hudson River on Monday morning, resuming their search for two victims from a weekend air collision that killed a total of nine.

A small plane and a sightseeing helicopter collided Saturday and plunged into the river, as people on both the New York and New Jersey sides of the river watched in horror.

The wreckage of the chopper was pulled up Sunday. "Almost all of it was intact," National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman told CNN's "American Morning" Monday.

Seven bodies have been pulled from waters up to 50 feet deep by divers working in near-zero visibility. But two victims from the plane remain missing.

Early Monday, divers said they believe the plane has been located as well. "We are very hopeful they might be able to pull that up today," said Hersman. "Deep water, fast currents - there is a lot of challenges for the divers. We'll have to see what they can accomplish today."

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