Latest news with #Bell206L
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Relative of Hudson River helicopter crash family flies in to US to identify bodies
The causes of death for the family of five and pilot killed in the tragic Hudson River helicopter crash have yet to be determined — as a relative of one of the dead has arrived in the US to possibly identify the bodies, authorities said Saturday. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said the brother of Mercè Camprubi Montal — who was killed in the accident Thursday alongside her husband and their three young children — had flown in from Spain Friday. 'There is still quite bit of a process to go through now,' Fulop told The Post Saturday while awaiting an afternoon press conference from the National Transportation Safety Board. 'The family member may have to ID the bodies and they still have to arrange transport back to Spain. The Spanish consulate is involved and Siemens has people working on this.' The bodies are being kept at the Hudson County Medical Examiner's office in the meantime. 'They still have to figure out the cause of death, was it from drowning or was it from the propeller? Right now we're all waiting to hear what the NTSB has to say,' said Fulop. Camprubi Montal, her husband, Agustin Escobar, and their three young kids — Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4 — and their pilot, former Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, were about 25 minutes into their sightseeing tour in the Bell 206L chopper when it suddenly broke apart over the Hudson River and crashed into the frigid waters near Jersey City. An aviation expert said it's likely Johnson knew something was seriously wrong as the chopper broke apart midair. 'I think the pilot would have been aware something was wrong but the passengers may not have,' aviation lawyer Jim Brauchle told The Post. 'Obviously pilots who fly all the time are going to know something is wrong but passengers may not appreciate the danger they are in right away.' 'Once the thing starts spinning, then people know it's something catastrophic. Passengers eventually figure it out.' Brauchle said the doomed passengers and pilot might have died either from blunt force trauma or drowning. 'You hope the people inside got knocked out because if they were conscious, that would have been horrible. Once it inverted, they may have hit their heads on the inside of the helicopter,' he said. 'For their sakes, you hope that's what occurred. There's a good chance they were unconscious.' Brauchle added that once the helicopter rotor is separated from the aircraft and the tail is sheared off, there is nothing even the most expert pilot can do. 'Once you lose the rotor blades, it's unrecoverable. The reason it [the chopper] flips upside down is that the roof of the helicopter is the heaviest part. Once you lose the main rotors, it essentially becomes a rock — there's nothing to create a lift,' he said. Relatives of the Camprubí Montal and Escobar families say they are taking solace in the fact that their loved ones 'passed away together'' in the 'sweetest moment of their lives.'' 'There are no words to describe what we are experiencing, nor to thank you for the warmth received,' said a letter posted on X by Joan Camprubí Montal on Friday. 'These are very difficult times, but optimism and joy have always characterized our family,' said the statement, which was signed by 19 Escobar and Camprubí Montal family members. 'We want to preserve the memory of a happy and united family, in the sweetest moment of their lives.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Doomed NYC helicopter starred in company's safety inspection video
The ill-fated New York City tour helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday features in a now-eerie video touting the firm's purported safety record. The chopper, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV, came apart midair Thursday afternoon and plummeted into the water upside down near the shoreline of Jersey City, New Jersey, killing a Spanish family of five and the aircraft's Navy SEAL veteran pilot. The helicopter's main and tail rotor detached from the body of the aircraft and could be seen splashing into the water separately, eyewitness video shows. The exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined. Siemens Executive, Wife And 3 Kids Id'd As Hudson River Helicopter Crash Victims The helicopter, registration number N216MH, was operated by New York Helicopters and the firm's website still features a video of the doomed helicopter being checked ahead of a takeoff. The video is embedded into the company's home page under a section titled "Why Choose Us," and advertises the company's experience, affordability and safety record, among other reasons. Read On The Fox News App "We have an industry-leading safety record," the website states alongside the video. The soundless video shows a worker walking toward the black and white colored chopper that has its main rotor blade tied to a dolly. He then unties the rope from the dolly and walks around the aircraft pulling the main rotor via the rope. Next, the worker climbs onto the side of the chopper and inspects the engine and drive shaft of the aircraft before hopping into the cockpit where he carries out more checks before starting the engine and taking off. Fatal Nyc Helicopter Crash Prompts Gop Lawmaker To Call For Ending Popular Tourist Flights The Bell 206 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, the New York Post reports, citing FAA data. In April 2023, the FAA issued two safety a for all Bell 206L model helicopters. The FAA said it had identified a risk of tail rotor drive (TRDS) failure caused by a faulty bonded joint in the segmented drive shaft. The FAA recommended replacing any failed tail rotor drive with a compliant, serviceable part and prohibited the installation of non-compliant TRDS parts. In one chilling video of Thursday's crash, it appears as though the tail rotor had detached before the main rotor. Michael Roth, the CEO of New York Helicopter Tours, told the New York Post he had not seen anything like it in his 30 years being in the helicopter business. "The only thing I could guess — I got no clue — is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don't know," he told the outlet. "This is horrific," Roth added. "But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break." The company released a statement saying it is "profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and loss of life." "At New York Helicopter Tours, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations," the statement on the firm's website reads. "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." It's not the first time a helicopter operated by Roth's company has experienced mechanical problems. In 2015, another Bell 206 operated by the company was forced to make a hard landing while hovering 20 feet off the ground after taking off in northern New Jersey. In that incident, the chopper experienced a tail rotor driveshaft failure due to the reuse of a faulty part, according to the NTSB. The part had been painted by a previous owner, making it impossible to tell whether it had been part of the helicopter during the earlier hard landing, the The New York Times reported. Two years earlier, a Bell 206 operated by the company lost power and made an emergency landing on the water while carrying four Swedish tourists. The pilot deployed the aircraft's pontoons and safely landed on the river. Thursday's tragedy has prompted Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., to call for the flights to be reined in or stopped altogether. The crash followed a 2018 fatal incident when a tour helicopter tragically slammed into the East River, killing five passengers. That flight was operated by Liberty Helicopters for article source: Doomed NYC helicopter starred in company's safety inspection video
Fox News
12-04-2025
- General
- Fox News
Doomed NYC helicopter starred in company's safety inspection video
The ill-fated New York City tour helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday features in a now-eerie video touting the firm's purported safety record. The chopper, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV, came apart midair Thursday afternoon and plummeted into the water upside down near the shoreline of Jersey City, New Jersey, killing a Spanish family of five and the aircraft's Navy SEAL veteran pilot. The helicopter's main and tail rotor detached from the body of the aircraft and could be seen splashing into the water separately, eyewitness video shows. The exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined. The helicopter, registration number N216MH, was operated by New York Helicopters and the firm's website still features a video of the doomed helicopter being checked ahead of a takeoff. The video is embedded into the company's home page under a section titled "Why Choose Us," and advertises the company's experience, affordability and safety record, among other reasons. "We have an industry-leading safety record," the website states alongside the video. The soundless video shows a worker walking toward the black and white colored chopper that has its main rotor blade tied to a dolly. He then unties the rope from the dolly and walks around the aircraft pulling the main rotor via the rope. Next, the worker climbs onto the side of the chopper and inspects the engine and drive shaft of the aircraft before hopping into the cockpit where he carries out more checks before starting the engine and taking off. The Bell 206 was manufactured in 2024 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, the New York Post reports, citing FAA data. In April 2023, the FAA issued two safety a for all Bell 206L model helicopters. The FAA said it had identified a risk of tail rotor drive (TRDS) failure caused by a faulty bonded joint in the segmented drive shaft. The FAA recommended replacing any failed tail rotor drive with a compliant, serviceable part and prohibited the installation of non-compliant TRDS parts. In one chilling video of Thursday's crash, it appears as though the tail rotor had detached before the main rotor. Michael Roth, the CEO of New York Helicopter Tours, told the New York Post he had not seen anything like it in his 30 years being in the helicopter business. "The only thing I could guess — I got no clue — is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don't know," he told the outlet. "This is horrific," Roth added. "But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break." The company released a statement saying it is "profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and loss of life." "At New York Helicopter Tours, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations," the statement on the firm's website reads. "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." It's not the first time a helicopter operated by Roth's company has experienced mechanical problems. In 2015, another Bell 206 operated by the company was forced to make a hard landing while hovering 20 feet off the ground after taking off in northern New Jersey. In that incident, the chopper experienced a tail rotor driveshaft failure due to the reuse of a faulty part, according to the NTSB. The part had been painted by a previous owner, making it impossible to tell whether it had been part of the helicopter during the earlier hard landing, the The New York Times reported. Two years earlier, a Bell 206 operated by the company lost power and made an emergency landing on the water while carrying four Swedish tourists. The pilot deployed the aircraft's pontoons and safely landed on the river. Thursday's tragedy has prompted Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., to call for the flights to be reined in or stopped altogether. The crash followed a 2018 fatal incident when a tour helicopter tragically slammed into the East River, killing five passengers. That flight was operated by Liberty Helicopters for FlyNYON.
Al Jazeera
11-04-2025
- Al Jazeera
New York sightseeing helicopter crashes in Hudson River: What we know
United States authorities are investigating a deadly helicopter crash in New York City that killed six people. The sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing a family of Spanish tourists, including three children, and the pilot. Here is what we know about the incident so far. The helicopter crashed at approximately 3:15pm EDT (19:15 GMT) on Thursday. It went down in the river between Newport, Jersey City and the lower Manhattan area in New York City. The aircraft had taken off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59pm (18:59 GMT) and radar data showed it flew north along the Manhattan skyline and then back south towards the Statue of Liberty. Video of the incident appeared to show the helicopter breaking apart midair and plunging into the Hudson River. The river is a busy shipping channel and as deep as 60 metres (200 feet) at points. Witnesses reported seeing debris fall before the crash, and parts of the wreckage were later seen protruding from the water. The helicopter was a Bell 206L – a small, single-engine aircraft often used for short trips and tours. Thousands have been manufactured over the years. It was initially developed for the US Army before being adapted for other uses such as sightseeing, TV news stations, and police. The helicopter had a valid safety certificate until 2029. At the time of the crash, it was being used by New York Helicopters for sightseeing rides. Reports from US media outlets say it had already flown five times earlier that day. All six people on board died in the crash. The victims included a family of five from Barcelona, Spain, who were visiting New York City. US media reports named the family as Agustin Escobar, chief executive officer of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility; his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal; and their three children, aged 4, 5, and 11. Escobar had worked at Siemens for more than 27 years, while Montal worked as global commercialisation manager at Siemens Energy, according to their LinkedIn profiles. The pilot, a 36-year-old US citizen employed by New York Helicopters, also died. Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and two died later in the hospital. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the helicopter's exact number of flights, maintenance records and operational history as they seek to determine the cause of the crash. Video shared on social media appeared to show that the helicopter broke apart while it was still in the air. One of the main blades and the tail rotor – which helps keep the helicopter stable – appear to have come off mid-flight. Emergency response teams from New York and New Jersey quickly mobilised following the crash. Recovery teams retrieved some of the wreckage using a floating crane just after 8pm on Thursday (00:00 GMT on Friday). The NTSB has secured the debris for forensic analysis, and further details are expected in a preliminary report within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, New York Helicopters has suspended operations pending the outcome of the investigation. No timeline has been provided for when services might resume. New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed condolences in a news briefing on Thursday. 'Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard,' he said. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called it an 'unimaginable tragedy' and extended sympathies to the families affected. Siemens also released a statement mourning the loss of Escobar and his family. 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones,' Siemens said in a statement. Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter Tours, told the New York Post he was 'devastated' by the incident and had 'no clue' how it happened. 'This is horrific,' Roth said. 'But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break.'
