Hudson River helicopter crash: Tour firm shutting down operations instantly, FAA confirms | EUROtoday

The Federal Aviation Administration stated Sunday that the helicopter tour firm whose sightseeing chopper broke aside in flight and crashed in New York, killing the pilot and a household of 5 guests from Spain, is shutting down operations instantly.

The FAA, in an announcement posted on X, additionally stated it will launch a direct evaluate of New York Helicopter Tours’ working license and security file.

The transfer got here hours after New York Sen. Chuck Schumer had referred to as on federal authorities to revoke the working permits of New York Helicopter Tours.

The firm’s sightseeing helicopter broke aside in midair and plunged into the Hudson River Thursday, killing the vacationers from Spain and the pilot, a Navy SEAL veteran.

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At a information convention Sunday, earlier than the announcement by the FAA, Schumer stated the corporate must be required to halt all flights because the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the lethal crash.

The Senate Democrat minority chief additionally referred to as on the Federal Aviation Administration to ramp up security inspections for different helicopter tour firms, accusing them of “cutting corners and putting profits over people.”

The victims included passengers Agustin Escobar, 49, his spouse, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, and their three kids, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10. The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who acquired his industrial pilot’s license in 2023.

“One of the things we can do to honor those lives and try to save others is to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Schumer stated. “We know there is one thing for sure about New York City’s helicopter tour companies: they have a deadly track record.”

Thursday’s crash has renewed security considerations about New York’s sightseeing excursions, a well-liked vacationer draw that whisks passengers excessive above the town, providing hovering views of the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center and different landmarks.

In the final 20 years, 5 helicopters on industrial sightseeing flights have fallen into the Hudson and East rivers because of mechanical failures, pilot errors or collisions, killing 20 folks.

The president of New York Helicopter Tours, Michael Roth, didn’t reply to telephone and e mail inquiries. The firm stated in an announcement printed on its web site that it was cooperating with authorities within the investigation.

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In response to Schumer’s requires extra oversight, an trade group, Eastern Region Helicopter Council, stated Manhattan’s sightseeing choppers “already operate under the most stringent of regulations.”

“We stand ready to work with leaders on finding ways to ensure the safety and preservation of our businesses and aviation community,” the group stated.

Critics of the trade have lengthy sought to restrict or completely ban nonessential helicopter flights from taking off above the town, although they’ve had restricted success. After New York City capped the variety of flights that would take off from Manhattan heliports at 30,000 yearly in 2016, many firms moved operations to New Jersey.

Two years later, in 2018, 5 folks died when a helicopter providing “open door” flights crashed within the East River after a passenger’s restraint tether snagged on a gasoline change, stopping the engine.

The explanation for Thursday’s crash will not be but decided. According to Schumer, rescue divers had been persevering with to seek for the helicopter’s primary rotor and meeting gear field, which might give clues about what occurred.