Latest news with #Bell206L-4LongRangerIV
Fox News
15-04-2025
- Business
- Fox News
FAA issues emergency order grounding New York Helicopter Charter amid deadly Hudson River crash
New York Helicopter Charter, Inc., has been grounded via an emergency order from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a helicopter operated by the company crashed in the Hudson River last week, killing a family of five and the pilot. The FAA's decision comes after the helicopter company fired its director of operations following his decision to shut down flights. "The FAA is taking this action in part because after the company's director of operations voluntarily shut down flights, he was fired," the FAA said in a statement. The FAA also announced it is completing a comprehensive review of the company's operations. "The review, known as a Certificate Holder Evaluation Program (CHEP), determines whether an operator complies with applicable regulation and effectively manages safety, and identifies hazards and risks so the FAA and operator can mitigate them," the agency said. The FAA previously announced that it would continue to support the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) investigation into the crash, while also launching an immediate review of the tour operator's license and safety record "The FAA is already analyzing airplane/helicopter hotspots nationwide, and we will be hosting a helicopter safety panel on April 22 to discuss the findings, risks, and additional mitigation options," the FAA added. "Safety is the FAA's number one priority, and we will not hesitate to act to protect the flying public." The ill-fated New York City tour helicopter – a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV – came apart midair on Thursday afternoon before falling 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 pilot, as well as Siemens executive Agustin Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal; and their three young children, were pulled from the water by divers and pronounced dead. New York Helicopter Charter's suspension will remain in place until the necessary personnel and safety protocols are in place. The company was also told to surrender its Air Carrier Certificate pending the outcome of the FAA's review.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New York helicopter tour operator behind fatal crash shuts down
The company that operated the helicopter that crashed into New York City's Hudson River on Thursday – killing all six people on board – has been shuttered with immediate effect, the US's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late on Sunday. New York Helicopter Tours is 'shutting down their operations immediately', the FAA said in a statement on X. The agency added that it would launch a review of the company's license and safety records in the meantime. The tour operator was already the subject of an investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board, which said that the doomed helicopter – a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV – was not equipped with any flight data recording equipment. Related: Helicopter in fatal New York crash lacked flight recorders, officials say It was on its eighth tour flight of the day when it crashed into the river near Hoboken, New Jersey, after taking off from Manhattan for an aerial tour of New York City. Those killed in the crash were the pilot and his passengers: a family of five visiting from Spain. The family members included the Siemens executive Agustín Escobar, 49, and his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, who was celebrating her 40th birthday at the time of the helicopter crash. The couple were joined by their three children: Víctor, 4; Mercedes, 8; and Agustín, 10. The pilot, 36-year-old Seankese Johnson, was a US navy veteran who qualified as a commercial pilot in 2023 with more than 800 hours' flying time. News of the company's closure came after Senator Chuck Schumer of New York urged the FAA to rescind New York Helicopter Tours' operating certificate. The senator also called for the company's operators to 'cease their flights until the investigation is complete'. 'There is one thing for sure about New York City's helicopter tour companies: they have a deadly track record,' Schumer at a Sunday news conference. He added: 'Eleven people killed in the last few years, and it is usually the companies, not the pilots, that are openly manipulating FAA rules, cutting corners and could well be putting profits over people.' The company's website was still online on Monday with a message to say it 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'. The crash has drawn attention to the safety of civilian helicopter flights around Manhattan. The New York City mayor, Eric Adams has dismissed discussion of a blanket ban on helicopter tours in the city. 'That is part of the attraction of businesses being in the city, people coming to the city, seeing the city from the air,' Adams told NBC after the crash. 'What we must do is make sure it's safe, make sure it's done correctly.' But on the other side of the Hudson River, in New Jersey, opposition to air tourism is mounting, including from the mayor of Jersey City, which is just across the Hudson River from New York City. 'I think any reasonable person would come to the conclusion that the amount of air traffic over New York City and New Jersey – particularly Jersey City – is problematic,' the Jersey City mayor, Steve Fulop, told the Gothamist. 'It's just a matter of time before somebody else gets hurt.' The Eastern Region Helicopter Council, an air tourism industry group, told the AP that New York City's sightseeing tours 'already operate under the most stringent of regulations'. Related: Pilot of crashed New York helicopter was reportedly low on fuel and headed back to helipad Thursday's helicopter crash was one of two recent deadly mishaps involving small aircraft in New York. On Saturday, all six people aboard a twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B that crashed near the upstate community of Copake were killed. The former college soccer star Karenna Groff – who was named the NCAA's woman of the year in 2022 – was identified as one of the victims of that crash. Others included her father, Dr Michael Groff; her mother, Dr Joy Saini; and her boyfriend, James Santoro. Santoro's father, John Santoro, identified him, Groff and her parents to the Associated Press. Investigators as of Monday had not determined what caused the crash. NTSB officials have said air traffic controllers at New York's Columbia county airport said the pilot reported a missed initial approach. The air traffic controllers then tried to alert the pilot to a low-altitude warning but could not reach him, officials said.
The Guardian
14-04-2025
- The Guardian
New York helicopter tour operator behind fatal crash shuts down
The company that operated the helicopter that crashed into New York City's Hudson River on Thursday – killing all six people on board – has been shuttered with immediate effect, the US's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late Sunday. New York Helicopter Tours is 'shutting down their operations immediately', the FAA said in a statement on X. The agency added that it would launch a review of the company's license and safety records in the meantime. The tour operator was already the subject of an investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board, which said that the doomed helicopter – a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV – was not equipped with any flight data recording equipment. It was on its eighth tour flight of the day when it crashed into the river near Hoboken, New Jersey, after taking off from Manhattan for an aerial tour of New York City. Those killed in the crash were the pilot and his passengers: a family of five visiting from Spain. The family members included Siemens executive Agustín Escobar, 49, and his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, who was celebrating her 40th birthday at the time of the helicopter crash. The couple were joined by their three children: Victor, 4; Mercedes, 8; and Agustín, 10. The pilot, 36-year-old Seankese Johnson, was a US navy veteran who qualified as a commercial pilot in 2023 with more than 800 hours' flying time. News of the company's closure came after US senator Chuck Schumer of New York urged the FAA to rescind New York Helicopter Tours' operating certificate. The senator also called for the company's operators to 'cease their flights until the investigation is complete'. 'There is one thing for sure about New York City's helicopter tour companies: They have a deadly track record,' Schumer at a Sunday news conference. He added: 'Eleven people killed in the last few years, and it is usually the companies, not the pilots, that are openly manipulating FAA rules, cutting corners and could well be putting profits over people.' The company's website was still online on Monday with a message to say it 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'. The crash has drawn attention to the safety of civilian helicopter flights around Manhattan. The New York City mayor, Eric Adams has dismissed discussion of a blanket ban on helicopter tours in the city. 'That is part of the attraction of businesses being in the city, people coming to the city, seeing the city from the air,' Adams told NBC after the crash. 'What we must do is make sure it's safe, make sure it's done correctly.' But on the other side of the Hudson River, in New Jersey, opposition to air tourism is mounting, including from the mayor of Jersey City, which is just across the Hudson River from New York City. 'I think any reasonable person would come to the conclusion that the amount of air traffic over New York City and New Jersey – particularly Jersey City – is problematic,' Jersey City mayor Steve Fulop told the Gothamist. 'It's just a matter of time before somebody else gets hurt.' The Eastern Region Helicopter Council, an air tourism industry group, told the AP that New York City's sightseeing tours 'already operate under the most stringent of regulations'.
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.
Boston Globe
11-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
What we know about the Hudson River helicopter crash in N.Y. that killed 6
Here's what we know about the crash so far. Siemens executive Agustín Escobar and his family were on board Agustín Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal; and their three children were on board the tour helicopter, according to a statement from Siemens, where the couple worked. Escobar, 49, was global chief executive of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility and had been the CEO at Siemens Spain. Camprubí Montal was global commercialization manager, a spokesperson for the company said. Advertisement '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,' the company said in a statement. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the crash 'an unimaginable tragedy.' 'I share in the pain of the victims' loved ones during this gut-wrenching moment,' Sánchez posted on X. The name of the sixth person aboard, the pilot, has not yet been released. The cause of the crash is still unknown The National Transportation Safety Board and local agencies are investigating Thursday's deadly incident. Eyewitness footage of the crash showed the helicopter cabin without rotor blades flipping upside down as it hurtled into the river with a loud thud. Pictures from the scene after the impact showed the aircraft upside down in the water, partially submerged as first responders worked around the wreck. Advertisement The helicopter was on a sightseeing tour The group had taken off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m. aboard a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV operated by a tour company called New York Helicopters, city officials said. The helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge about 3:08 p.m. before turning back south along the New Jersey shoreline, officials said, citing online flight data. Minutes later, it lost control and crashed into the water near Hoboken, New Jersey, just feet from the edge of Pier A Park, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. 'The helicopter hit the water, we believe, inverted, and the cabin piece was visible above the water,' Tisch said.
