Several Parts of Helicopter That Crashed in Hudson Are Still Missing

New York Times

13-04-2025

The sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing six people, did not have any flight recorders, which could have provided investigators crucial information about what caused the aircraft to go down, federal officials said.
So far, divers have not found any onboard video or camera recorders among the wreckage, according to a statement on Saturday from the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.
The helicopter's avionics, which can include its navigational, communications and fuel systems, did not record any usable information, the statement said.
It was unclear whether the helicopter, a single-engine Bell 206L LongRanger, was required to be equipped with flight recorders. The National Transportation Safety Board directed questions to the Federal Aviation Administration, which did not immediately respond on Sunday.
The sightseeing company operating the aircraft, New York Helicopter Charter, had flown tourists around New York City for decades before the crash on Thursday. All of the people onboard were killed: the pilot, Seankese Johnson, 36, and a family visiting from Spain: Agustín Escobar, Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three children, Agustín, 10, Mercè, 8, and Víctor, 4.
The last major inspection of the helicopter that crashed was on March 1, the statement said. It had taken seven flights on Thursday before its final trip.
The deadly crash has turned attention to the company and its operations. Michael Roth, the owner and chief executive of New York Helicopter Charter, had developed a reputation in New York's competitive flight tour industry for lawsuits and unpaid bills. Mr. Roth once sued a company that had performed maintenance on one of his helicopters, saying its shoddy work had forced an emergency landing on the Hudson in 2013. He had also sued lenders over loan agreements and a heliport operator to regain access after a debt dispute.
Federal officials have met with representatives from Mr. Roth's company 'to review operational records, policies and procedures, safety management systems and the pilot's experience,' according to the statement on Saturday.
Reached by phone on Friday, Mr. Roth declined to answer questions.
On Sunday, investigators continued to evaluate the flight control system found in the wreckage as Police Department divers searched for the aircraft's tail rotor, main rotor, main gear box and most of its tail boom.
The cockpit and cabin, the vertical fin, the horizontal stabilizer finlets and the forward portion of the tail boom have all been recovered. Some of the parts will be sent to the safety board's laboratories in Washington, D.C., for further inspection, the statement said.