Helicopter that crashed into NYC’s Hudson River was not geared up with flight recorders, NTSB says | EUROtoday

A helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on Thursday, killing all six individuals on board, lacked flight recorders, in response to federal investigators.

“No onboard video recorders or camera recorders have been recovered and none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used for the investigation,” the National Transportation Safety Board mentioned in an replace on Saturday.

Divers from the New York Police Department proceed to seek for helicopter’s most important rotor, most important gear field, tail rotor and a big portion of the tail growth, the company added within the replace.

Investigators mentioned the tour helicopter’s final main inspection was on March 1, and that on the day of the crash, it accomplished seven earlier tour flights.

Officials are nonetheless making an attempt to find out the reason for the Thursday afternoon crash, which killed Siemens government Agustin Escobar, 49; his spouse, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; their three kids, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10; and pilot Seankese Johnson, 36, a former Navy SEAL.

A ceremony was held Saturday on the Hudson to honor the victims the place flowers had been thrown into the river.

“They left together. They left without suffering,” Joan Camprubi, Mercè Camprubí Montal’s brother, instructed reporters.

“You have 8.5 million New Yorkers who want to say to the family members and to the wider Spanish community that we are here with you, and this symbolic gesture is our way of knowing and acknowledging that our words cannot bring back their family members, but it is our way of saying as New Yorkers, we stand united with this family during this moment of grief, and their grief is our grief,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams added.

On Sunday, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York referred to as on the Federal Aviation Administration to floor the tour firm that operated the helicopter, New York Helicopters, Inc., till the federal investigation into the crash was full.

“The company was operating under the lowest bar of safety,” he mentioned, including that a number of individuals have died on flights with the corporate.

Schumer additionally mentioned the Bell 206 copter that crashed was 21 years outdated and referred to as on the aviation company to conduct extra shock inspections earlier than takeoff.

“These inspections are like meals inspections, exhibiting up unannounced to ensure every part is on the extent,” he mentioned.

“At New York Helicopter Tours, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations,” the corporate wrote in a press release on its web site. “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. These agencies have asked us to respect the investigative process by referring all press inquiries to them for any further comment.”