Latest news with #N216MH
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NTSB photos show NYC tour helicopter 'suddenly' broke apart midair before fatal crash into Hudson River
Witness photos released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday show the tour helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on April 10, breaking apart midair before plunging into the water, killing six people. Though the cause of the crash remains unknown, a preliminary report from the NTSB notes several witnesses heard multiple "loud bangs" coming from the Bell 206L-4 aircraft before it "suddenly" broke into three major sections midair and dropped into the river. Photos show that first, the fuselage – containing the engine and main rotor blade assembly – completely separated from the tail boom. In a subsequent photo, the main rotor blades with the attached transmission and roof structure could be seen broken apart from the fuselage. A Bell 206L-4 helicopter, N216MH, was destroyed in a crash near Jersey City, N.J. 'Everything Is On The Table' As Ntsb Investigates Deadly Hudson River Tour Helicopter Crash The helicopter departed Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport in New York City and flew in a teardrop pattern south of the Statue of Liberty, according to flight tracking data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Read On The Fox News App It then proceeded north along the east side of the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan, past the George Washington Bridge, where it performed a U-turn, then headed south along the New Jersey side of the river. As the aircraft approached the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers near Jersey City, New Jersey, it increased in altitude to about 675 feet before rapidly descending, according to the FAA. Its last observed altitude was 125 feet. A Bell 206L-4 helicopter, N216MH, was destroyed in a crash near Jersey City, N.J. 6 Dead, Including 3 Children, After Helicopter Plummets In Hudson River The fuselage landed upside down north of the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers, where the water depth was about 6 feet, according to the preliminary report. The main rotor and tail boom sections were found north of the fuselage in about 30 feet of water. Debris was also recovered from the surface of the river and from a rooftop near the NJ Transit building in Hoboken, New Jersey, according to the report. The NTSB did not indicate the helicopter collided with the building. A Bell 206L-4 helicopter, N216MH, was destroyed in a crash near Jersey City, N.J. Nyc Helicopter Tour Company Shuts Down After Hudson River Crash That Killed 6: Faa Though the aircraft was not equipped with any video or data recording devices, photos of the pilot taken just before the flight showed him wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which had video and audio recording capability, officials said. The sunglasses were not recovered. ADS-B flight track and geographic data highlight the last minute of the flight through breakup, uncontrolled decent and loss of signal. Six people, including a Navy SEAL veteran pilot, two adults and three children, were killed in the crash. Five of the victims have been identified as a Spanish family: Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young children, the Associated Press reported. Days after the crash, the company that owned the tour helicopter, New York Helicopter Tours, announced it was shutting down its operations immediately. New Jersey Transit did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report. Original article source: NTSB photos show NYC tour helicopter 'suddenly' broke apart midair before fatal crash into Hudson River
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What we know about why a tourist helicopter crashed into the Hudson River
A tourist helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on Thursday, killing six people. A former military helicopter pilot told BI the helicopter's rotary system appears to have failed. Helicopter crashes are more common than airplane accidents, but main rotor detachment is rare. There are a lot of questions swirling after a tourist helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on Thursday, killing Siemens Mobility executive Agustín Escobar, his wife, and three children. The pilot, who the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday had about 788 hours of total flight experience, also died. The 21-year-old Bell 206 helicopter, registered N216MH and operated by New York Helicopter, plummeted into the river off the New Jersey shoreline at around 3:15 p.m. It crashed upside down after what appears to have been a midair breakup. The aircraft was owned by Louisiana-based Meridian Helicopters, LLC, whose website says it sells, refurbishes, and leases helicopters. Meridian didn't return an email or phone message from BI. Former military helicopter pilot Brian Alexander told Business Insider that the accident appears to have been a result of a "catastrophic mechanical failure" involving both the main and tail rotors. He said no cause is confirmed and people should wait for the NTSB's investigation before jumping to conclusions. Alexander also is a partner at aviation accident law firm Kreindler & Kreindler. While Thursday's helicopter crash could spark renewed fears amid a recent spat of airline accidents, the cause is unlikely to be related. Videos posted on social media show the helicopter's rotary systems apparently detached mid-flight, falling into the water after the aircraft's main body had already crashed. "It's hard to say which came first," Alexander said. "There appears to be spinning, which would suggest a tail rotor issue, but you can't rule out a main rotor detaching first and hitting the tail rotor." The spinning he's referring to is the helicopter fuselage as it fell into the Hudson, which he said means the tail rotor likely failed at some point. He explained that without a tail rotor, the helicopter would "spin like a top" due to the torque created by the main rotor as it produces lift and thrust. Either or both systems failing could lead to an accident. "If you lose your main rotor, meaning it's detached, you have no lift, you're done," Alexander said. "There's nothing you can do at that point; you're just a falling object." He said a helicopter that loses just a tail rotor is a severe situation, but it can still be flown — though with great difficulty. Alexander said that losing power is typically a more surmountable issue. In a scenario where the helicopter's engine failed, and the blades were still attached, the aircraft could auto-rotate to descend to land. NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said on Friday that part of the wreckage had been pulled from the river, but dive teams are still retrieving components, including the main and tail rotors. She said the agency "does not speculate" on probable cause and still needed to gather the sunken components, conduct witness interviews, and gather records like maintenance logs. Alexander said that there are several reasons the helicopter rotors could detach, like mechanic error or a transmission issue. He also said the mast — which connects the main rotor hub to the transmission — could have disconnected entirely. "Someone on the maintenance side maybe didn't tighten a bolt up, or a part just failed," he said, emphasizing that any cause is still unknown. "I'm sure that's what [investigators] will be looking at." This wouldn't be the first time a helicopter owned by Meridian and operated by New York Helicopter experienced a system malfunction. In 2015, the tail rotor driveshaft on another one of the company's Bell 206 helicopters detached, which caused a loss of control and hard landing in New Jersey, according to the NTSB. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was uninjured. The driveshaft transmits power from the transmission to the tail rotor. However, the NTSB determined that the one installed was "unairworthy." Meridian told the NTSB that the driveshaft was purchased at auction by the helicopter's previous owner after the same helicopter experienced a separate hard landing in 2010. Inspectors found the driveshaft had been repainted, corrosion had been removed, and the serial number did not match known records — meaning they could not determine if it was the same driveshaft that was attached to the helicopter during the 2010 hard landing. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the 2015 crash was the "deliberate concealment and reuse" of a faulty driveshaft "by "unknown personnel." New York Helicopter didn't answer calls from BI; its president declined to comment to The Wall Street Journal. While helicopters are generally safe so long as safety procedures are followed, they have a comparatively higher crash rate than commercial airplanes because of their riskier complex systems and operating environment. Helicopters have more moving parts, require more adjustments, rely on auto-rotation to emergency land rather than glide, operate at lower altitudes, and commonly fly in less controlled airspace. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that Thursday's helicopter was flying in the Special Flight Rules Area at the time of the crash, where there is no air traffic control support. Data from the US Helicopter Safety Team shows there were about 90 helicopter accidents in 2024, 13 of which led to 30 collective fatalities. An Associated Press report said at least 32 people were killed in helicopter crashes in New York City between 1977 and 2019. Five people died in 2018 when a helicopter crashed and flipped upside down in the East River. A year later, a helicopter crash-landed on the roof of a Manhattan skyscraper, killing the pilot. The accidents have sparked restrictions on things like flight paths and landing spots to improve safety. Alexander said that while helicopter crashes are more common, complete main rotor detachment is rare. "Everything about this is unusual," he said. "You just don't see something like what we all saw." Read the original article on Business Insider
Sky News
10-04-2025
- General
- Sky News
New York helicopter crash: Rescue operation under way in Hudson River; witness 'saw blade fall off'
Helicopter believed to be privately owned Flight tracking site Flightradar24 says it believes it has identified the helicopter involved in today's crash. It says the aircraft involved is N216MH, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV. Details about the helicopter show it to be privately owned and having taken several short trips across New York today. Four people were on helicopter when it crashed - one person recovered from water By Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst, NBC News There were four people on board the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River. One has been successfully pulled from the water, though it is not clear what state that person is in. Witness saw chopper blade 'fall off' Someone who witnessed the crash said he saw one of the helicopter's blades fly off. Avi Rakesh tells our US partner network NBC that he saw the helicopter going south towards New Jersey when "the chopper blade flew off". "I don't know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped," he said. "It dropped feet away from Holland Tunnel, and I can't imagine if it hit it." Watch: Emergency crews respond to helicopter crash We can now bring you a live stream of the Hudson River as emergency crews respond to a helicopter crash there. The New York Fire Department said it received a report of a helicopter in the water at 3.17pm local time (8.17pm UK time). Helicopter crashes in Hudson River near Manhattan in New York A helicopter has crashed in the Hudson River near Manhattan, the New York Police Department has said. It is not yet known if there are any injuries or fatalities.
