Latest news with #Bell206L-4LongRanger
New York Times
15-04-2025
- New York Times
Missing Rotor Is Recovered From Site of Helicopter Crash in Hudson River
When rescue crews reached the passenger compartment of the helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing all six of its occupants, the aircraft was missing several critical components, including the rotor and blades that had kept it aloft. On Monday afternoon, four days after the fatal crash, investigators fished several of those missing pieces out of the river, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency that is leading the investigation to determine the cause. Divers from the New York Police Department, working with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management, recovered the helicopter's main rotor system, its transmission and roof beam, the safety board said late Monday. The helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger operated by New York Helicopter Tours, was on a sightseeing flight over the river on Thursday when it suddenly broke apart in midair. Videos posted on social media showed the rotor blades and part of the aircraft's tail falling separately toward the water. The main body of the helicopter plummeted into the water on the western side of the river near Jersey City, N.J., and then floated upside down. The passengers — Agustín Escobar, Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three young children, Agustín, Mercè and Víctor — were all killed. The pilot, Seankese Johnson, also died. The chief executive of New York Helicopter, Michael Roth, said last week that he had no information about what had happened to the helicopter, which took off from a heliport in Lower Manhattan and was headed back there when it crashed. The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates commercial air transportation, said on Sunday night that New York Helicopter had stopped taking customers on tours after the crash. Then on Monday night, the F.A.A. issued an emergency order to shut down New York Helicopter for safety reasons. The agency said that, after the crash, the company's director of operations, Jason Costello, had said it would suspend operations. But within half an hour, Mr. Roth contacted the agency to say he had not authorized a suspension of operations and that Mr. Costello no longer worked for him. The F.A.A. called the 'intentional firing' of Mr. Costello a retaliation and determined that it left the company without 'sufficient qualified management and technical personnel to ensure the safety of its operations.' The transportation safety board said that its efforts to recover pieces of the helicopter had concluded. But its investigation is just getting underway. The safety board's staff will conduct interviews and study the wreckage and the operator's maintenance records to try to determine why the helicopter had broken apart. Its investigations often take several months and sometimes are not concluded for more than a year. On Tuesday, the safety board is holding a hearing to discuss its final report on a fire aboard a ship in Newark, in which two members of Newark's fire department died. That fire happened in July 2023.
Express Tribune
11-04-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Siemens executive, Agustín Escobar, and family die in Hudson helicopter crash
Rescue workers and emergency personnel work at the scene of a helicopter crash on the Hudson River near lower Manhattan in New York, April 10, 2025. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters Listen to article A sightseeing helicopter carrying a Siemens executive and his family plunged into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon, killing all five passengers and their pilot. Agustín Escobar, 43, led Siemens' operations in Spain and Southwest Europe. He was travelling with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children aged 4, 5, and 11. The family had been visiting New York from Barcelona. The pilot, a 36-year-old man whose name has not yet been released, also died in the crash. The Bell 206 helicopter took off from Manhattan's Wall Street Heliport at 2:59 p.m. and followed a standard sightseeing route north along the Hudson River. It reached the George Washington Bridge before turning back. The crash occurred at 3:17 p.m. near Hoboken, New Jersey. Emergency crews recovered all six bodies from the water, where the aircraft was found upside down in 50-degree conditions. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the loss as 'devastating' and said the deaths of five Spaniards from the same family were 'an unimaginable tragedy.' Emergency personnel work at the scene of a helicopter crash on the Hudson River near lower Manhattan in New York, as seen from Newport, New Jersey, on April 10, 2025. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters Flight details and crash timeline The Bell 206L-4 LongRanger helicopter took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m. and flew a typical sightseeing route over the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River. It reached the George Washington Bridge before turning back south, when it reportedly lost control and flipped before crashing upside down into the water. Witnesses described the aircraft plummeting from the sky, shedding debris mid-air before the violent impact. First responders recovered all six people from the river. Weather conditions at the time included cloudy skies, light rain, and gusting winds. Previous safety concerns and ongoing investigation The helicopter was manufactured in 2004 and had a current airworthiness certificate. However, the operator, New York Helicopter Charter, has a history of safety incidents, including a forced water landing in 2013 and maintenance issues flagged in 2015. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now leading the investigation, with a "go-team" dispatched to the crash site. They will examine compliance with FAA airworthiness directives, including those related to rotor blade integrity and tail rotor drive systems. NTSB officials are also reviewing reports from 911 callers and data from the aircraft's ADS-B tracking system. Early analysis shows the flight lasted approximately 16 minutes before the crash. The helicopter remains submerged, and recovery and investigation efforts are ongoing.
