New York Helicopter Tours Behind Deadly Hudson River Crash Shuts Down; FAA To Launch Probe

(RTTNews) - The Federal Aviation Administration announced that New York Helicopter Tours, the helicopter company involved in the crash on the Hudson river that killed six people last week, is shutting down their operations with immediate effect.

In a post on social media platform X on late Sunday, the federal agency announced the plan to launch an immediate review of the tour operator's license and safety record, along with its continuous support for an ongoing investigation by The National Transportation Safety Board or NTSB.

Siemens Spain President And CEO Agustin Escobar, his wife and three children, as well as the pilot, a Navy SEAL veteran, was killed in the Hudson river helicopter crash on last Thursday while sightseeing in New York in a flight operated by New York Helicopter Tours.

Immediately following the deadly crash involving a Bell 206L-4 helicopter, N216MH, the NTSB commenced its investigation to find the cause of the crash. All aspects of the accident remain under investigation, the agency had said earlier.

In a later statement, the agency noted that the helicopter involved in the crash was not equipped with any flight recorders, and that no onboard video recorders or camera recorders have been recovered. Further, none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used for the investigation.

The NTSB said a preliminary report is expected within 30 days from the date of the accident that will contain factual information gathered during the initial phase of the probe. A probable cause of the crash and any contributing factors will come in the final report, which is expected in 12 to 24 months.

Meanwhile, New York Helicopter Tours, in its website shows a notice apologizing for the incident and indicating its willingness to fully cooperate with the FAA and NTSB investigations.

Following the crash, New York Senetor Chuck Schumer had called on the U.S. authorities to revoke the operating permits of the helicopter tour company and for the halt of all flights as the agencies investigate the deadly crash. He also called on the FAA for safety inspections for other helicopter tour companies.

The FAA in its latest post said, "Lastly on the topic of helicopter safety broadly: The FAA is already analyzing airplane/helicopter hotspots nationwide, and we will be hosting a helicopter safety panel on April 22 to discuss the findings, risks, and additional mitigation options."