Lawmaker pushes ban on sightseeing helicopter tours after family dies in crash
A New York senator has pushed for a ban on sightseeing helicopter tours around New York City, following the tragic crash that killed six people.
Democrat Brad Hoylman-Sigal has called for a ban on the 'nuisance' aircraft previously, arguing that chopper crashes could be catastrophic in densely populated areas like Manhattan.
His most recent plea comes after a tourist helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon, killing a family of five and the pilot. The victims were later identified as Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal — a global commercialization manager at Siemens Energy — and their children aged 4, 5, and 11.
The pilot has yet to be named. The aircraft reportedly broke apart midair on a trip around Manhattan before plummeting into the waters below on Thursday afternoon.
"We averted disaster possibly by just minutes,' Hoylman-Sigal told ABC. 'And that is the concern here. Which is if a helicopter gets in trouble in a densely populated area like Manhattan, the disaster could be far worse.'
The senator has been trying to limit helicopter traffic over the city to first responders, news and necessary transport. He has also been trying to ban sightseeing helicopters. "There's no reason to allow tourists and tour flight operators to use our valuable precious airspace," he said.
Following the tragedy on Thursday, 25 people have been killed in crashes involving sightseeing helicopters in New York City in the last 40 years.
In 2018, five tourists drowned after their helicopter crashed into the East River, though the pilot survived. That crash was similar to one in 2011, in which three people were killed after their helicopter crashed into the East River. The pilot in that incident also survived.
In 2009, nine people died after a sightseeing helicopter collided with a small plane in midair over the Hudson.
Hoylman-Sigal told ABC that there is still insufficient safety regulation for the sightseeing helicopters. 'The danger is that FAA regulates airspace above 500 feet, so the city and state are prohibited from passing laws that make tourist choppers safer,' he said.
In 2022 Hoylman-Sigal released a report titled 'The Nuisance of Tourist Choppers,' which found that an average of 165 helicopters fly over Manhattan each weekend, with a frequency of approximately one every nine minutes during peak hours.
'The nuisance of tourist choppers is one of the most important issues on the west side, so it's helpful to quantify the gravity of the situation – and it's infuriating to know that they are originating out of state,' he said in a statement at the time.
'These trips capitalize upon our city's world-renowned beauty but being based in New Jersey, offer no economic benefit to New York City or State. We need the Stop the Chop Act to finally put an end to these nuisances.'
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