By Ginger Adams Otis
New York Helicopter, the tour operator behind the Hudson River crash that killed a Spanish family of five and a pilot, is shutting down, the Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday.
The FAA said the company will stop operations immediately, and the FAA will conduct a review of New York Helicopter's license and safety record. The National Transportation Safety Board's probe into the cause of last week's crash will continue, the FAA said.
"Safety is the FAA's number one priority and we will not hesitate to act to protect the flying public," the agency said on social media.
Mike Roth, owner of the tour company, said he was unaware of the FAA announcement when reached by phone Sunday. "I did not authorize that," he said.
New York Helicopter operated the Bell 206 that crashed into the Hudson River on April 10, killing all six people on board.
The aircraft was giving a tour ride to Agustín Escobar Cañadas, 49 years old, and Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, who both worked for Siemens, and their three young children. The family's visit to New York from Spain was timed to coincide with what would have been their daughter's ninth birthday. The pilot, Sean Johnson, 36, was the sixth victim.
The aircraft plunged into the river on its way back to Lower Manhattan after a short trip up the Hudson to the George Washington Bridge. It landed in the water around Hoboken, New Jersey.
The crash has renewed debate over helicopter trips over New York City, which includes sightseeing tours and commuter flights to local airports and nearby destinations such as the Hamptons.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has advocated for increased safety oversight of the helicopter tour industry, said the cessation of New York Helicopter flights was good news.
"They were a danger to the public. But much work remains to be done," said Schumer, who has pushed for more inspections, among other things.
A deadly 2018 helicopter crash in the East River that killed five people prompted the city to ban sightseeing tours out of the city that use helicopters without doors. That accident also led to new federal regulations related to the safety restraints used for open-door helicopter flights. Thursday's crash involved a helicopter with doors.
Write to Ginger Adams Otis at Ginger.AdamsOtis@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 13, 2025 23:19 ET (03:19 GMT)
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