New York Helicopter Tours shuts down after Hudson River crash that killed 6: FAA

Yahoo

14-04-2025

The Big Apple sightseeing company involved in the Hudson River helicopter crash that killed six is shutting down its operations 'immediately,' the Federal Aviation Administration announced Sunday night, three days after the deadly disaster.
A chopper operated by New York Helicopter Tours plunged into the frigid waters off Manhattan Thursday — killing a Siemens executive, his wife and their three young children who were visiting from Spain and the pilot, who was a Navy veteran.
'New York Helicopter Tours — the company involved in the deadly crash on the Hudson earlier this week — is shutting down their operations immediately,' the FAA tweeted.
'We will continue to support NTSB's investigation. Additionally, the FAA will be launching an immediate review of the tour operator's license and safety record.'
The FAA did not make clear if the business would be shut down permanently and did not return an email seeking clarity late Sunday.
When reached by phone, New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth confirmed that his company was ceasing operations at the demand of the federal agency.
'It wasn't my choice, the FAA did that,' he told The Post.
When asked if there was a chance of returning to operations, Roth replied, 'Maybe, I don't know.'
A day earlier, a company representative said the business was 'not operating until further notice.'
New York Helicopter Tours said it was 'fully cooperating' with the federal officials probing the crash in a statement on its website.
'New York Helicopter Tours is 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. At New York Helicopter Tours, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations,' the company said.
'Our 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.'
The doomed helicopter was on its eighth flight of the day and lacked a flight recorder before it broke apart in the air and came crashing down into the Hudson, the National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday.
The last inspection date for the chopper was March 1, the agency said.
The Spanish tourists, Augustin Escobar, his wife Merce Montal, and their three children — Augustin, 10; Mercedes, 8; and Victor, 4, all perished in the crash.
'I want to say they left together, they left without suffering, and they left with a smile on their faces, and that is important to us,' Montal's brother, Joan Camprubí Montal, said Saturday.
The pilot who perished was identified as 36-year-old Sean Johnson, who had recently moved to the Big Apple.
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for a swift shutdown of the company earlier Sunday, applauded the move by the FAA.
'It is good news that the FAA heeded the call and shut down New York Helicopter's flights because they were a danger to the public,' Schumer, New York's senator, said in a statement. 'But much work remains to be done.'
He said the FAA must conduct more inspections of tourist helicopter companies and consider other questions about the industry going forward.
A Schumer spokesperson also said it was not clear how long the company would be sidelined.