Latest news with #Homendy
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DOGE team assigned to review National Transportation Safety Board operations
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency initiative has recently assigned a team to review operations at the National Transportation Safety Board, a spokesperson for the NTSB confirmed on Wednesday. DOGE has been assigning teams to a number of independent agencies and recently sought to review agencies that are part of the legislative branch. Earlier this month, the White House fired three Democrats on the five-member Consumer Product Safety Commission after a DOGE team visited seeking to join as detailees to the agency. The commissioners filed suit on Wednesday over the dismissals. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters in March the agency had not lost any personnel as a result of government job cuts and that it was exempt from DOGE's buyout offer. In an April 14 letter to Congress, Homendy said "the Trump administration has recognized the critical role that the NTSB and its workforce plays." Homendy said the NTSB -- which has around 400 employees - had submitted a reorganization plan that included eliminating 14 positions through regular attrition. DOGE teams have been reviewing leases, staffing and financial contracts signed by smaller agencies among other issues as part of a sweeping overhaul of government. A series of aviation safety incidents including the Jan. 29 mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a Army helicopter that killed 67 people have raised alarm and the NTSB has opened numerous safety investigations into incidents in recent months. The NTSB has also investigated high-profile train derailments and maritime accidents including the 2024 collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore that prompted the board to issue urgent safety recommendations in March. The NTSB workload typically exceeds 2,000 investigations a year.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Officials ID all victims in NYC helicopter crash: What we know
Officials have identified all six people aboard the sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River near New Jersey as investigators scour the murky water for additional parts of the chopper. Among the six killed in the April 10 crash were pilot Seankese Johnson, 36, and a family of five visiting from Spain, including Agustin Escobar, an executive at tech company Siemens, his wife, and their three children, ages 4, 8 and 10. Escobar was in the city on business but had extended the trip so he and his family could celebrate his daughter's ninth birthday on April 11, according to Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. The Bell 206 helicopter collapsed near Jersey City, New Jersey, around 3:15 p.m. after taking off from a heliport in downtown Manhattan for an aerial tour of the city, officials said. The chopper was operated by New York Helicopter Charter Inc. and was owned by Meridian Helicopters LLC, based in Louisiana. The National Transportation Safety Board has begun an investigation into the cause of the crash. In a news conference, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters that dive teams were still searching the waters of the Hudson to locate additional pieces of the helicopter. Homendy urged witnesses to send video and photos of the crash and asked for patience as investigators identify what led to chopper to tumble out of the sky. "We do not speculate, we need to confirm information," she said. "That is a process that takes time." National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference that the agency is investigating reports that there was a large flock of birds in the area at the time of the crash. Homendy said the reports about the birds is "something we will be looking into." Johnson, the pilot of the aircraft, had accumulated hundreds of hours of flight time, Homendy said at a news conference. He held a commercial pilot certificate, and as of March had 788 hours of total flight time, she said. Officials do not yet know how much experience he had aboard the Bell helicopter, which is the model that tumbled into the Hudson River on April 11. The 36-year-old moved to the city recently, according to a Facebook profile. Johnson's profile photo dated to March 28 shows him flying by One World Trade Center and the public page shows photos of him flying by the Willis Tower in his native Chicago. The helicopter pilot was a Navy veteran, according to his profile. Homendy said an NTSB team has began pulling components - including the engine - off the wreckage to begin a comprehensive analysis. She said NYPD divers are still searching for pieces of the helicopter, including its roof and tail structures and the main rotor. She said the NTSB has not identified a preliminary cause of the crash. Video taken by eyewitnesses shows the moment the helicopter fell to the water, appearing to twist rapidly on its descent. Moments after a rotor can be seen falling detached from the aircraft itself. Watch the video: Escobar was with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, law enforcement sources reportedly told ABC News. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the crash was an "unimaginable tragedy." "Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives," Sanchez said. "I sympathize with the victims' loved ones at this heartbreaking time." The Escobar family: Who was the family in the Hudson River helicopter crash? Choppers are big business in New York. They generate $78 million for the city annually and 30,000 flights leave every year from the downtown heliport alone, Jennifer Sun of the city's Economic Development Corporation told City Council last year. But the flights have also been subject to scrutiny over safety concerns – at least 38 people have died in helicopter crashes in the city since 1977 – as well as noise complaints. In fact the council meeting last year where Sun shared flight data was called in response to a 2,000% jump in helicopter noise complaints over five years, Council Member Amanda Farías said at the meeting. Residents and legislators have called for an outright ban of nonessential flights, including sightseeing choppers and commuter flights, which vastly outnumber flights piloted by emergency personnel or media. More: Helicopter tours of NYC have a controversial and deadly history Sightseeing helicopter rides have become a popular part of any New York City tour but the crash on Thursday left many visitors inclined to find another way to view the iconic skyline. On a rainy Friday, Maureen Standing said she and her boyfriend, Sean Maurath could 'view it from the airplane.' The couple from Cleveland arrived last night into LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, said Standing, 46. 'We got a solid view of it all lit up,' Standing, a teacher, said, as the pair exited the subway by the Empire State Building for a nearby museum. "I'm apprehensive about flying these days anyway." The Weiß family from Germany was staying at a hotel in Jersey City, just a few hundred yards from where the chopper plunged into the Hudson River. Broder Weiß said the family had no plans of going on a helicopter ride. The 17-year-old had heard about the skyline tours from friends but his mother is afraid of heights. 'So that kind of stands in the way of that,' said the teenager. His mother's fear didn't stop the Weiß family on Thursday from ascending One World Trade Center, the tallest building in North America. 'I think that's enough view from above,' Weiß said. – Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY It's too early to say what happened to the sightseeing helicopter, but video of the aircraft careening into the river makes it clear there was some kind of catastrophic failure of the rotor, said Jim Brauchle, an aviation attorney with Motley Rice LLC who has represented families of crashes and a former Air Force navigator. Video shows what appears to be a detached rotor falling moments after the helicopter hit the water. "When you see the rotor detaching, two things come to mind. One is there was some type of mechanical or structural failure that made it separate. Second is this phenomenon called 'mast bumping,'" Brauchle told USA TODAY. Mast bumping happens when the rotor blade of the helicopter tilts too far down and strikes the helicopter, which can cut the tail of the helicopter off and appears to be what happened to this craft, he said. It can happen when a pilot makes too abrupt of a maneuver such as a quick dive or climb. It's not a terribly common phenomenon, but it's happened before, particularly in smaller helicopters that have two rotor blades, Brauchle said. That's common for sightseeing helicopters. 'I haven't seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business,' New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth told the New York Post. '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.' 'This is horrific,' Roth said. 'But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break.' A mechanical failure is also possible, Brauchle said. Metal fatigue can set in with the rotors after they're used for a long time. Brauchle said tourism helicopters are among the most used because they're out flying for hours every day, sometimes in harsh weather. Regular maintenance is important to prevent disasters, but some parts failures might not be detectible in an inspection, he said. Brauchle said he helped represent the families of victims of a 2009 disaster involving a sightseeing helicopter that collided with a private plane over the Hudson River. "It was this same kind of thing where parents and children got killed, and I just remember the devastation of those families. So really, my heart goes out to the relatives of the people that got killed, because it's just an unbearable loss," he said. The chairman of a helicopter industry group said the crash has "devastated" the community. "All of our thoughts – and the thoughts of a nation - are with the families and loved ones of the victims during this unimaginable time," said Jeff Smith, the chairman of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council. Smith said the helicopter community would cooperate and assist in the investigation to ensure nothing like this happens again. "Safety is the cornerstone of our industry, and any loss of life is a profound tragedy that reminds us of the heavy responsibility we bear every day," he family was on a sightseeing helicopter tour with the company New York Helicopter, which charges hundreds of dollars per person for aerial tours of various landmarks in the city, according to its website. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash, but said they believe the helicopter fell into the water "inverted." Video of the crash appears to show the helicopter plummeting into the water followed by a detached helicopter blade seconds later. The helicopter's landing gear could be seen emerging from the water as rescue crews swarmed the area afterward. AccuWeather said the skies were cloudy with a southeast wind at 10 to 15 mph at the time of the crash. USA TODAY has reached out to the New York Police Department, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration for more information into the investigation. Contributing: Donovan Slack, Trevor Hughes, Eduardo Cuevas and Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Helicopter crash in Hudson River: Pilot, family of 5 ID'd by officials
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Divers search Hudson River for parts of helicopter after crash
Divers used sonar on Friday to search for key pieces of a sightseeing helicopter which broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey. All six people aboard were killed — a family of five from Spain and the pilot, a 36-year-old US Navy veteran. The main and rear rotors, main transmission, roof structure and tail structure were still missing a day after Thursday's crash, National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said. Witnesses said they saw the main rotor detach and spin away, and bystander video showed parts of the aircraft tumbling through the air. Ms Homendy said investigators had only just begun looking at the wreckage, flight logs and other material and would not speculate on the cause. The agency, which has been spared from the Trump administration's job-cutting measures, deployed 17 people to the crash scene, including 10 investigators. 'Everything is on the table. We don't rule anything out,' she said. 'We take a very detailed and comprehensive view, and it's way too early in the investigation.' The helicopter crashed around 3.15pm on Thursday, about 15 minutes after departing from a lower Manhattan heliport. It flew up the west side of Manhattan, turned around near the George Washington Bridge and was heading south when it plummeted upside down into a shallow stretch of the river near Jersey City, New Jersey. Just before takeoff, Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three children — Victor, four, Mercedes, eight, and Agustin, 10 — smiled in front of the helicopter in souvenir photos posted to the tour operator's website. Mr Escobar, a 49-year-old executive with the German conglomerate Siemens, had extended a business trip to the US to sightsee in New York City and celebrate Mercedes's ninth birthday, which would have been Friday, and his wife's upcoming 40th birthday. She was an executive at Siemens Energy, a company that had been a part of the conglomerate before being spun off as a separate entity. In a statement posted on the social platform X on Friday night by Mr Montal's brother, Joan Camprubi Montal, family members expressed gratitude for the 'massive expressions of condolences and support,' adding: 'There are no words to describe what we are experiencing, nor to thank the warmth received.' Writing in Spanish and Catalan, he said family members had travelled to New York to handle arrangements and asked people to respect their privacy. 'These are very difficult times, but optimism and joy have always characterised our family. We want to keep the memory of a happy and united family, in the sweetest moment of their lives,' he said. 'They have departed together, leaving an indelible mark among all their relatives, friends, and acquaintances.' The pilot, Seankese Johnson, received his commercial pilot's license in 2023, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and had logged about 800 hours of flight time as of March, Mr Homendy said. Recently, he posted a photo on Facebook of himself piloting a helicopter with Manhattan in the background. In 2023, he posted that he was flying a firefighting helicopter. 'Long hours and painstaking work to get to this moment. Thank you for all the love and support from those who've helped me get here,' he wrote. He enlisted in the US Navy in 2006 and served until 2018, Defence Department records show. The helicopter, a Bell 206 LongRanger IV, was built in 2004. According to FAA records, it had a maintenance issue last September involving its transmission assembly. An entry in the agency's Service Difficulty Reporting System shows the transmission assembly had metal in oil, a sign of wear and a bearing in the transmission was found to be flaking. The helicopter had logged 12,728 total flight hours at the time, according to the records.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Everything is on the table' as NTSB investigates deadly Hudson River tour helicopter crash
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), during a news conference Friday at Jersey City Hall, said "everything is on the table" and it was not "rul[ing] anything out" in its investigation into the fatal crash of a tour helicopter in the Hudson River Thursday. The NTSB will look into witness reports of a large flock of birds in the area before the crash. The Bell 206 helicopter, flying for the tour company New York Helicopters, went down in the Hudson River near the Jersey City, New Jersey, coastline at about 3:17 p.m. Thursday, according to New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch. New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and NYPD divers entered the water within minutes, pulling the pilot and members of a family visiting from Spain, including Siemens executive Agustin Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal; and their three young children, from the water. All six aboard were pronounced dead. Escobar was in the country on a business trip, and his family flew out to extend the vacation in celebration of Montal's 40th birthday, according to a statement from Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. The children were all under 11 years old. 6 Dead, Including 3 Children, After Helicopter Plummets In Hudson River Though the pilot's identity has not yet been released by officials, NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said during the news conference that the agency has the pilot's logbooks and confirmed he held a commercial pilot certificate with rotorcraft and instrument ratings. Read On The Fox News App "The pilot reported 450 hours of total flight experience on his most recent medical, which was issued on Sept. 20, 2024," Homendy said. "As of March 29, 2025, the pilot had accumulated about 788 hours of total flight time." The NTSB is still calculating the pilot's flight time in the Bell helicopter because the pilot previously flew a Robinson 44, according to Homendy. NYPD divers are still searching for pieces of the aircraft, including the main rotor, tail rotor, main transmission, roof structure and tail structure. However, Homendy said witness reports have already aided investigators in the agency's preliminary investigation. Pilot In Hudson River Helicopter Crash Called About Needing Fuel Before Fatal Accident, Ceo Says Homendy noted the NTSB was "aware of reports" of a "large flock of birds" in the area shortly before the crash. "We discussed it this morning," she said. "It's something we will be looking into." The NTSB is asking the public to submit photos, videos and testimony "if something struck [them] as different" or gave them "pause." As far as a timeline goes, the NTSB said it is still ironing out the details of what could have gone wrong. The FAA confirmed the helicopter took off from the downtown Manhattan heliport at 2:59 p.m. and flew south before flying north along the Manhattan shoreline. At 3:08 p.m., the helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge and then turned again to fly south along the New Jersey shoreline, according to the FAA. Shortly after, the pilot lost control of the aircraft and hit the water just a few feet off the shore near Hoboken. New York Helicopter Tour CEO Michael Roth, whose company operated the helicopter, told The Telegraph the pilot radioed about needing fuel but never arrived. It is unclear when the call went out about the fuel. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a statement Thursday the tour helicopter was in the special flight rules area established in New York, which means no air traffic control services were being provided when the helicopter crashed. However, Duffy confirmed "several minutes prior to entering the special flight rules area, air traffic control from LaGuardia Airport was providing support," according to the statement. When asked about the safety of air tours, Homendy said the NTSB issued "an entire report on Part 91 operations with respect to revenue passengers." "We believe in one level of safety strongly, and that may not look like regulation for a major commercial airline, but we do believe that they should be regulated," she said. "We have issued recommendations in the past on crash-resistant recorders. We've issued numerous regular recommendations on safety management systems, on particular regulations for Part 91." The question was asked after Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and a number of other officials expressed concern about tour helicopters. "Staten Island residents remain deeply concerned about the frequent low-flying tour helicopters whose flight paths continue to frequently pass over their neighborhoods at all hours of the day," Malliotakis wrote in a statement. "To prevent another tragedy, these tourist helicopter flights over NYC must be more heavily regulated and restricted, if not come to an end entirely." Homendy added it is "too early" to speculate about what the NTSB will recommend as a result of the investigation but noted "this is a concern that we've raised for a number of years." "Certainly, we raised this after the FlyNYON crash in a specific report. … It was very comprehensive about our recommendations, specifically about air tour operators," she said. Pilots Warned Of Safety Concerns Before Helicopter Crashed In Nyc's East River And Killed 5, Report Says On March 11, 2018, a helicopter operated by a different New York helicopter-sightseeing company, FlyNYON, crashed into the East River, killing all five passengers onboard. Passengers were allegedly "unable to free themselves from the harnesses they were wearing," resulting in a lawsuit settlement of $90 million, Fox News previously reported. Richard Vance, the pilot, was using a standard seat belt and was the lone survivor. The FAA and NTSB will continue to investigate the Hudson River helicopter crash. Mayor Fulop confirmed in an X post a brother-in-law of the family that died in the wreck was flying into the country Friday morning. "We are working with [the medical examiner] to expedite [the] release of the family to fly back to Spain," Fulop wrote in the post. Fox News Digital's Julia Bonavita and The Associated Press contributed to this article source: 'Everything is on the table' as NTSB investigates deadly Hudson River tour helicopter crash
USA Today
12-04-2025
- USA Today
Officials ID all victims in NYC helicopter crash: What we know
Officials ID all victims in NYC helicopter crash: What we know Agustin Escobar, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, his family, and the helicopter pilot were killed when it crashed into the Hudson River. Show Caption Hide Caption Spanish family of five, pilot killed in NYC helicopter crash A family of five taking a flight over New York City and their pilot were killed after their helicopter crashed into the Hudson river. Officials have identified all six people aboard the sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River near New Jersey as investigators scour the murky water for additional parts of the chopper. Among the six killed in the April 10 crash were pilot Seankese Johnson, 36, and a family of five visiting from Spain, including Agustin Escobar, an executive at tech company Siemens, his wife, and their three children, ages 4, 8 and 10. Escobar was in the city on business but had extended the trip so he and his family could celebrate his daughter's ninth birthday on April 11, according to Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. The Bell 206 helicopter collapsed near Jersey City, New Jersey, around 3:15 p.m. after taking off from a heliport in downtown Manhattan for an aerial tour of the city, officials said. The chopper was operated by New York Helicopter Charter Inc. and was owned by Meridian Helicopters LLC, based in Louisiana. The National Transportation Safety Board has begun an investigation into the cause of the crash. In a news conference, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters that dive teams were still searching the waters of the Hudson to locate additional pieces of the helicopter. Homendy urged witnesses to send video and photos of the crash and asked for patience as investigators identify what led to chopper to tumble out of the sky. "We do not speculate, we need to confirm information," she said. "That is a process that takes time." Investigators probe reports of birds in the area National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference that the agency is investigating reports that there was a large flock of birds in the area at the time of the crash. Homendy said the reports about the birds is "something we will be looking into." Pilot had hundreds of hours of flight experience, NTSB chair says Johnson, the pilot of the aircraft, had accumulated hundreds of hours of flight time, Homendy said at a news conference. He held a commercial pilot certificate, and as of March had 788 hours of total flight time, she said. Officials do not yet know how much experience he had aboard the Bell helicopter, which is the model that tumbled into the Hudson River on April 11. The 36-year-old moved to the city recently, according to a Facebook profile. Johnson's profile photo dated to March 28 shows him flying by One World Trade Center and the public page shows photos of him flying by the Willis Tower in his native Chicago. The helicopter pilot was a Navy veteran, according to his profile. Divers still looking for pieces of helicopter Homendy said an NTSB team has began pulling components - including the engine - off the wreckage to begin a comprehensive analysis. She said NYPD divers are still searching for pieces of the helicopter, including its roof and tail structures and the main rotor. She said the NTSB has not identified a preliminary cause of the crash. See the moment the helicopter crashed Video taken by eyewitnesses shows the moment the helicopter fell to the water, appearing to twist rapidly on its descent. Moments after a rotor can be seen falling detached from the aircraft itself. Watch the video: Moment helicopter crashes in New York City, killing 6 Six people, including five members of one family, died when the sightseeing helicopter lost control over the Hudson River in New York. What we know about the crash victims Escobar was with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, law enforcement sources reportedly told ABC News. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the crash was an "unimaginable tragedy." "Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives," Sanchez said. "I sympathize with the victims' loved ones at this heartbreaking time." The Escobar family: Who was the family in the Hudson River helicopter crash? What to know about NYC sightseeing choppers Choppers are big business in New York. They generate $78 million for the city annually and 30,000 flights leave every year from the downtown heliport alone, Jennifer Sun of the city's Economic Development Corporation told City Council last year. But the flights have also been subject to scrutiny over safety concerns – at least 38 people have died in helicopter crashes in the city since 1977 – as well as noise complaints. In fact the council meeting last year where Sun shared flight data was called in response to a 2,000% jump in helicopter noise complaints over five years, Council Member Amanda Farías said at the meeting. Residents and legislators have called for an outright ban of nonessential flights, including sightseeing choppers and commuter flights, which vastly outnumber flights piloted by emergency personnel or media. More: Helicopter tours of NYC have a controversial and deadly history Tourists opt viewing NYC skyline from the plane or a skyscraper Sightseeing helicopter rides have become a popular part of any New York City tour but the crash on Thursday left many visitors inclined to find another way to view the iconic skyline. On a rainy Friday, Maureen Standing said she and her boyfriend, Sean Maurath could 'view it from the airplane.' The couple from Cleveland arrived last night into LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, said Standing, 46. 'We got a solid view of it all lit up,' Standing, a teacher, said, as the pair exited the subway by the Empire State Building for a nearby museum. "I'm apprehensive about flying these days anyway." The Weiß family from Germany was staying at a hotel in Jersey City, just a few hundred yards from where the chopper plunged into the Hudson River. Broder Weiß said the family had no plans of going on a helicopter ride. The 17-year-old had heard about the skyline tours from friends but his mother is afraid of heights. 'So that kind of stands in the way of that,' said the teenager. His mother's fear didn't stop the Weiß family on Thursday from ascending One World Trade Center, the tallest building in North America. 'I think that's enough view from above,' Weiß said. – Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY What might have happened to the helicopter It's too early to say what happened to the sightseeing helicopter, but video of the aircraft careening into the river makes it clear there was some kind of catastrophic failure of the rotor, said Jim Brauchle, an aviation attorney with Motley Rice LLC who has represented families of crashes and a former Air Force navigator. Video shows what appears to be a detached rotor falling moments after the helicopter hit the water. "When you see the rotor detaching, two things come to mind. One is there was some type of mechanical or structural failure that made it separate. Second is this phenomenon called 'mast bumping,'" Brauchle told USA TODAY. Mast bumping happens when the rotor blade of the helicopter tilts too far down and strikes the helicopter, which can cut the tail of the helicopter off and appears to be what happened to this craft, he said. It can happen when a pilot makes too abrupt of a maneuver such as a quick dive or climb. It's not a terribly common phenomenon, but it's happened before, particularly in smaller helicopters that have two rotor blades, Brauchle said. That's common for sightseeing helicopters. 'I haven't seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business,' New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth told the New York Post. '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.' 'This is horrific,' Roth said. 'But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break.' A mechanical failure is also possible, Brauchle said. Metal fatigue can set in with the rotors after they're used for a long time. Brauchle said tourism helicopters are among the most used because they're out flying for hours every day, sometimes in harsh weather. Regular maintenance is important to prevent disasters, but some parts failures might not be detectible in an inspection, he said. Brauchle said he helped represent the families of victims of a 2009 disaster involving a sightseeing helicopter that collided with a private plane over the Hudson River. "It was this same kind of thing where parents and children got killed, and I just remember the devastation of those families. So really, my heart goes out to the relatives of the people that got killed, because it's just an unbearable loss," he said. Helicopter group says industry is 'devastated' The chairman of a helicopter industry group said the crash has "devastated" the community. "All of our thoughts – and the thoughts of a nation - are with the families and loved ones of the victims during this unimaginable time," said Jeff Smith, the chairman of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council. Smith said the helicopter community would cooperate and assist in the investigation to ensure nothing like this happens again. "Safety is the cornerstone of our industry, and any loss of life is a profound tragedy that reminds us of the heavy responsibility we bear every day," he said. Start your day smart: Sign up for USA TODAY's Daily Briefing newsletter. Investigation into cause of crash continues The family was on a sightseeing helicopter tour with the company New York Helicopter, which charges hundreds of dollars per person for aerial tours of various landmarks in the city, according to its website. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash, but said they believe the helicopter fell into the water "inverted." Video of the crash appears to show the helicopter plummeting into the water followed by a detached helicopter blade seconds later. The helicopter's landing gear could be seen emerging from the water as rescue crews swarmed the area afterward. AccuWeather said the skies were cloudy with a southeast wind at 10 to 15 mph at the time of the crash. USA TODAY has reached out to the New York Police Department, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration for more information into the investigation. Contributing: Donovan Slack, Trevor Hughes, Eduardo Cuevas and Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY; Reuters
