Latest news with #Bell206L4
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
New York helicopter broke apart in midair before deadly crash, report shows
US air officials have released images of the New York City sightseeing helicopter that crashed earlier this year, killing a family of five and the pilot, showing that the aircraft began to break apart in midair, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday. The report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is the government's first public explanation about what might have happened on 10 April, when the Bell 206L-4 plunged into the river. 'Several witnesses described hearing several loud 'bangs' emanating from the helicopter before it broke up and descended into the river,' the report said. The helicopter had flown from the Statue of Liberty, up to the George Washington Bridge and then made a 180-degree turn to head back downtown, the report said. 'Surveillance video (with accompanying audio) captured the helicopter traveling south before it suddenly separated into three major sections: fuselage (including the engine), main rotor system (including both main rotor blades, transmission and roof-beam structure), and the tail boom (including the tail rotor),' it continued. Justin Green, an aviation lawyer and former Marine helicopter pilot, told the Associated Press that a sequence of blurry images released by the NTSB show the helicopter yawing severely and the tail boom failing, suggesting it was probably struck by the aircraft's main rotor blades during flight. 'It's clear that some mechanical issue precipitated the breakup,' Green said. But the report does not look at the initial cause of the helicopter's break-up. The cause, Green said, will likely be determined by a forensic examination of the wreckage recovered from the river. 'A tail strike could be caused by a pilot not handling a loss of power emergency and allowing the rotor rpm to decay, which makes the rotors flap up and down more and that can cause a strike,' he said. The helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 built in 2004, had operated about 50 hours since its last inspection on 27 February, according to the NTSB report. The helicopter's airframe accrued nearly 13,000 total hours of operation, and the engine accrued more than 23,000 hours. Maintenance records from the federal aviation administration (FAA) show the aircraft had an issue involving its transmission assembly last September. The helicopter, operated by tour company New York Helicopter, was not equipped with any video or data recording devices, but the preliminary report said that photos taken before the group departed showed that pilot Seankese Johnson, a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL, was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which would have had video and audio recording capability. The glasses have not been recovered. Johnson received his commercial pilot's license in 2023 and had logged 790 hours of flight time, the NTSB report said. Retired NTSB investigator Al Yurman told the AP that Johnson did not appear to be particularly experienced flying a Bell 206L-4. The agency said in its report Johnson had fewer than 50 hours of flight in that type of aircraft. 'It's quite sophisticated for that type of work,' Yurman said. 'I would prefer to have someone more experienced, but we'll know more when the full report comes out.' The tour operator, New York Helicopter, has been through bankruptcy and faced ongoing lawsuits in recent years. The company has said it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation. Agustín Escobar, 49; Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their children Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10, members of a prominent Barcelona family, were killed in the crash. Officials have said Escobar, global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, was in the New York area on business and his family had joined him for a birthday celebration. The incident has brought helicopter sightseeing tours around Manhattan under scrutiny. Five commercial sightseeing helicopters have gone down in the rivers around Manhattan since 2005 as a result of mechanical failure, pilot error or collision, killing 20 people. A total of 38 people have died in helicopter failures since 1977. The last had occurred in 2019. Chuck Schumer, a New York senator, said soon after the latest crash that 'there is one thing we know for sure about New York City's helicopter tour companies: they have a deadly track record, and it is usually the companies – not the pilots – that are openly manipulating Federal Aviation Administration rules, cutting corners and putting profits over people'. But Eric Adams, New York City's mayor, rejected calls to ban non-essential air travel around the city, arguing that it supports efforts to attract businesses and tourism. 'That is part of the attractions of businesses being in the city, people coming to the city, seeing the city from the air. As part of the attraction, what we must do is make sure it's safe, make sure is done correctly,' the mayor said.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- The Independent
New report shows NYC helicopter breaking apart in midair before crash that killed 6
Federal officials on Wednesday released images of a doomed New York City sightseeing helicopter as it broke apart in midair last month, killing six people. The series of still photographs taken from surveillance camera video shows the fuselage, containing the engine and rotors, separating from the helicopter's tail. The rotor blades and the transmission then detach from the cabin that's carrying the passengers and the pilot. The images were included in the preliminary report about the flight released by the National Transportation Safety Board. 'Several witnesses described hearing several loud 'bangs' emanating from the helicopter before it broke up and descended into the river,' the report says. Justin Green, an aviation lawyer and former Marine helicopter pilot, said the sequence of images shows the helicopter yawing severely and the tail boom failing, suggesting it was most likely struck by the aircraft's main rotor blades while in flight. 'It's clear that some mechanical issue precipitated the breakup,' he said. 'We still do not know the exact issues, only potential causes.' The initial NTSB report, which runs about six pages, does not address the initial cause of "the in-flight breakup of the aircraft,' he said. That will likely be determined by a forensic examination of the wreckage itself, including the rotor blades, the engine and transmission. Federal Aviation Administration records show the aircraft, a Bell 206L-4, was built in 2004 and had a maintenance issue last September involving its transmission assembly. The NTSB said previously that the aircraft, which was operated by tour company New York Helicopter, was not equipped with any video or data recording devices. But on Wednesday, it said photos taken beforehand show that the pilot, Seankese Johnson, was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which would have had video and audio recording capability. The glasses have not been recovered, however. Johnson, a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL, received his commercial pilot's license in 2023 and had logged 790 hours of flight time, according to the NTSB report. But he didn't appear to be particularly experienced flying a Bell 206L-4, according to Al Yurman, a retired NTSB investigator, who noted the report found he had fewer than 50 hours of flight in that type of aircraft. 'It's quite sophisticated for that type of work,' Yurman said. 'I would prefer to have someone more experienced but we'll know more when the full report comes out.' The report said Johnson worked a '10 days on/10 days off schedule' and the April 10 flight was his first day back after 10 days off. The flight was also the eighth of the day for the pilot and the helicopter. The aircraft was on a typical tour, departing from the downtown heliport by Wall Street around 3 p.m. and flying north along the Manhattan skyline before heading south toward the Statue of Liberty. Less than 18 minutes into the flight, witnesses saw the tail and main rotor break away and smoke pouring from the spinning helicopter. In recent years New York Helicopter, the tour company, went through bankruptcy and faced ongoing lawsuits over alleged debts. The company has said it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation. No one answered the phone at its office or responded to an email seeking comment on Wednesday. The crash was among a recent string of aircraft disasters and close calls that left some people worried about the safety of flying in the U.S. It also revived concerns about the popular and costly aerial tours over New York City. Five commercial sightseeing helicopters have gone down in the rivers around Manhattan since 2005 as a result of mechanical failure, pilot error or collision, killing 20 people. The April 10 crash killed a prominent family from Barcelona, Spain: Agustín Escobar, 49; Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their children Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10. Officials have said Escobar, global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, was in the New York area on business. Montal, who worked for Siemens Energy and was the granddaughter of a former president of the famous Barcelona FC soccer club, flew in with their children to meet him. Mercedes would have turned 9 the day after the crash.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Helicopter Crash Pilot Sean Johnson Posted Eerie Video Before Death
The pilot who died with a family of five in a helicopter crash in New York City's Hudson River was a NAVY Seal named Sean Johnson. On March 27, Johnson posted a video to his Facebook page that shows him piloting a helicopter over lower Manhattan. "When it all comes together," he captioned the Facebook reel, including the captions #tours #charter and #nyc. In the comment thread, he identified the craft as a "Bell 206L4." Johnson's Facebook profile picture shows him piloting a helicopter, and his cover photo is a picture of Manhattan. Gothamist identified Johnson as the pilot of the Bell 206 tourist helicopter which crashed and ended up submerged in the Hudson River in New York City on April 10, 2025. The pilot "radioed about needing to refuel minutes before the helicopter crashed into the chilly waters," Fox News reported, citing the CEO of the company that owned the helicopter, Michael Roth. Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three kids died in the crash, as did the pilot, The Associated Press reported. On March 6, Johnson posted another photo with a helicopter and wrote, "Windy City boy, in the Big Apple." According to his Facebook page, he was a helicopter pilot, "veteran, outdoors lover, and lifter of heavy metal." Johnson's recent Facebook pages included a post about the death of actor Val Kilmer. "Iceman forever," he wrote. Friends filled up the comment thread under his helicopter video with tributes. "I was telling my buddy about how you became a pilot. Just a couple of weeks back. Rest in peace," one wrote. "Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Fair winds shipmate," another person wrote. His page identified him as a "struggling co-pilot at Billings Flying Service," and a former UH-60 co-pilot at Heli-1 Corporation" who studied as a commercial pilot at Southern Utah University and Central Texas College, as well as at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Johnson's page says he was from Chicago, Illinois. According to Gothamist, Johnson, 36, was a Navy SEAL veteran who had recently moved to New York. 'I'm just at loss for words. I don't even know what happened,' Johnson's wife Kathryn Johnson told Gothamist."It's just hard right now.' She told the site that Johnson worked in the past as a celebrity bodyguard and for a television show. Remi Adeleke shared a photo of Johnson in an aircraft to Instagram and wrote, "This is devastating. I just spoke with Sean's wife. The news publicized the name of the Siemens Exec and his family, but not the pilot. @its_me_kat3 asked me to share who Sean Johnson was so his name doesn't get lost or forgotten," the post says. "I met Sean when he was a new tech in the SEAL Teams. I was an E-6 at the time, and Sean stood out immediately—vibrant, humble, respectful, and hungry to learn. Every time I stepped into his workspace, we'd chop it up about life, the Teams, and his future. He'd always tell me he wanted to be a pilot someday. I'd remind him, 'Stay locked in. Do the work—and you'll get there.' And he did," the post continued.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bentong helicopter crash: Aviation authority confirms pilot safe, ground crew's death
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) today confirmed an accident involving a Bell 206L4 helicopter during a landing in Bentong, Pahang at 10.26am. It said the helicopter with the registration number PK-ZUV was leased and operated by MHS Aviation Berhad and had been conducting an aerial work flight. 'The accident involved one ground crew while the helicopter pilot is reported to be safe,' CAAM said in a media statement. It said the last communication reported by the operator was at 10.18am to the Flight Information Service at the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre, notifying that the helicopter was returning to the landing site. It added that further investigation will be conducted by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau, under the jurisdiction of the Transport Ministry.
