Doomed Hudson River helicopter was once featured in video touting safety record — as beleaguered company says it's not operating until further notice
The New York City tour helicopter that plummeted into the Hudson River Thursday, killing six people, was once used in a now-chilling promotional video trumpeting the alleged safety record of the sightseeing company, which has stalled operations indefinitely.
A representative for New York Helicopters said the company is 'not operating until further notice' — just days after a family of five visiting from Spain and their pilot were killed in the horrific crash.
In a statement posted to its site, the firm said it was 'profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and loss of life that occurred on April 10, 2025, involving one of our helicopters in the Hudson River.'
The statement insisted 'the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations,' and that company's 'immediate focus is supporting the families and their loved ones affected by this tragedy, as well as fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigations.'
Footage of the doomed Bell 206L helicopter is still available on the firm's website under a section called 'Why Choose Us,' and YouTube.
In the video, which doesn't have sound, a man is seen checking the copter ahead of a planned takeoff.
'We have an industry-leading safety record,' the website states alongside the clip.
The ill-fated helicopter took off from Manhattan's Downtown Skyport at roughly 1:50 p.m. Thursday, with Siemens executive Agustin Escober, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three young children — Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4 — aboard.
Pilot of doomed Hudson River helicopter ID'd as Navy SEAL veteran who had posted chilling video month before death
Mom killed in Hudson River helicopter crash was from FC Barcelona soccer dynasty
Cause of Hudson River helicopter crash will take 'quite some time' to determine, NTSB says, revealing rotors still missing
Hudson River helicopter crash investigators will probe pilot's experience, possible mechanical failure: sources
Doomed Hudson River helicopter was once featured in video touting safety record — as beleaguered company says it's not operating until further notice
Devastated brother of mom killed in Hudson River helicopter crash delivers heartbreaking tribute before laying flowers at site of tragedy
The family, who hailed from Barcelona, Spain, were flown by Sean Johnson, 36, a Navy veteran who recently moved to the Big Apple for his still-young aviation career.
The chopper crashed near the shoreline of Jersey City, New Jersey, moments after the main and tail rotor detached from the body of the aircraft.
The exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined and could take weeks, officials said.
The safety video shows the black and white copter's main rotor blade tied to a dolly. The man in the video then unties the rope from the dolly and walks around the aircraft pulling the main rotor via the rope.
The man is also filmed climbing onto the side of the chopper and inspecting the engine and drive shaft before hopping into the cockpit, where he conducts more checks of the aircraft's tools.
The Bell 206L was manufactured in 2004 and had already logged 12,728 hours of flight time when it was forced into repair back in September for a mechanical issue with its transmission assembly.
In April 2023, the FAA issued two safety recalls for all Bell 206L model helicopters.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
10 hours ago
- CBS News
Small plane crash off San Diego coast kills 6 people on board
A small plane carrying six people crashed off the San Diego coast, killing everyone on board, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday. The twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, not long after it took off, the FAA said. The plane was returning to Phoenix one day after flying out from Arizona, according to the flight tracking website Searchers found a debris field later Sunday about 5 miles off the coast of Point Loma, a San Diego neighborhood that juts into the Pacific, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. The water in the search area is about 200 feet deep. Although the FAA said all six people on board the plane were killed, authorities haven't identified them. The FAA said the plane is owned by vitamin and nutritional supplement maker Optimal Health Systems. But the company based in Pima, Arizona, said in a statement that it sold the plane to a group of private individuals in 2023, meaning the FAA database could be out of date. However, the company's founder, Doug Grant, said in the statement, "We personally know several of the passengers onboard and our sincerest condolences are offered to those affected by the tragedy, all of whom are incredible members of our small community." The FAA referred questions about the plane's ownership to the National Transportation Safety Board, which didn't immediately provide any further details about the crash. San Diego Harbor Police assisted with sonar to help pinpoint the area of the crash, CBS affiliate KFMB-TV reported. The Coast Guard also alerted the San Diego Fire Department Lifeguards about the crash, and lifeguards were able to find an oil sheen and some debris on the water. Any debris initially recovered by lifeguards has been turned over to Coast Guard officials, the fire department said. The pilot told air traffic controllers that he was struggling to maintain his heading and climb as the plane twice turned toward shore before going back out to sea, according to audio posted by and radar data posted by FlightAware. The controller urged the pilot to climb to 4,000 feet after he reported the plane was only about 1,000 feet in the air. The controller directed the pilot to land at a nearby U.S. naval airport on Coronado Island, but the pilot said he was unable to see the airport. A short time later, the pilot repeatedly signaled the "Mayday" distress call before controllers lost radar contact. A man who was out surfing when the plane crashed told NBC 7 in San Diego that he saw the plane come down at an angle, then climb back into the clouds before diving again and crashing into the water. "The next time he came out of the clouds, he went straight into the water. But after I saw this splash, about six seconds later, it was dead silent. I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed," Tyson Wislofsky said. The Coast Guard said multiple rescue crews had been deployed in the search, including two helicopters and multiple ships. The crash comes weeks after a small Cessna crashed into a San Diego neighborhood in foggy weather and killed six people.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Six killed in small plane crash off California coast
A small plane crashed off the San Diego coast shortly after takeoff, killing all six people on board, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday. The twin-engine Cessna 414 crashed at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, the FAA said. The plane was returning to Phoenix one day after flying out from Arizona, according to the flight tracking website The Coast Guard said searchers found a debris field later Sunday about 5 miles (8 kilometers) off the coast of Point Loma, a San Diego neighborhood that juts into the Pacific, U.S. Coast Guard officials. The water in the search area is about 200 feet (61 meters) deep.
CNN
11 hours ago
- CNN
6 people killed in crash of small aircraft off San Diego, FAA says
Air travel safety Airplane crashes Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow Six people were killed when a small plane crashed into the ocean off San Diego on Sunday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday. The final moments before the twin-engine Cessna crash – which triggered a major search of the Pacific Ocean near San Diego – are captured in an air traffic control audio recording from 'Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!' the pilot of the Cessna 414 can be heard shouting on the recording only five minutes after taking off from San Diego International Airport. The pilot and five passengers were killed when the plane crashed into the water 'under unknown circumstances,' the FAA told CNN. The Coast Guard is searching a debris field. An urgent exchange is heard on the audiotape as the pilot tells an air traffic controller he is struggling to maintain a heading. 'What seems to be the issue?' the air traffic controller can be heard asking 'Just struggling right now to maintain heading … and climb,' the pilot replied. The controller from the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control advised the pilot to land at nearby Naval Air Station North Island. Flight tracking data shows the plane taking off at 12:25 p.m. local time bound for Phoenix. In the five minutes that followed, the plane reached a maximum altitude of only 2,100 feet before making two turns to the left, according to open-source data from ADS-B Exchange. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Weather conditions at the time of the crash were not particularly poor. Visibility was 10 miles and winds were at about 8 mph from the west-northwest, with no gusts. There was a thick, overcast cloud layer at around 1500 feet, according to data from nearby airports analyzed by CNN meteorologists. This is a developing story and will be updated.
