FAA Launching Extensive Review Of Safety Record

New York Helicopter Tours, the company that owned and operated the helicopter that suffered a catastrophic failure and plunged into the Hudson River killing all 6 aboard, has shut down its operations effective immediately, according to the FAA.

The accident resulted in the deaths of three adults including the veteran Navy Seal pilot and both parents of three children who were also onboard and perished.

The helo involved was a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV. It appeared to sustain a severe mechanical failure as the main rotor, tail rotor and part of the tail boom, and other parts appeared to separate from the aircraft as it went down into the river.

In the latest development today, April 14, a crane could be seen lowering what appeared to be the helicopter’s rotor onto a vessel for later analysis that will hopefully yield some information that could help the NTSB determine what caused the accident.

The FAA announced the shutdown on the evening of April 13 and said it will continue its support of the NTSB’s investigation into the causes of the crash. It will also immediately begin an intensive review of the company’s license and safety record.

The FAA added, "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. Safety is the FAA’s number one priority, and we will not hesitate to act to protect the flying public."

The Spanish couple were Agustin Escobar and his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal. They and their three young children along with the pilot, were pulled from the river by divers and pronounced dead. Escobar was an executive with Siemens AG, a German technology company.

The NTSB has already said that the helicopter was not equipped with any flight data recorders and that none of the aircraft’s avionics recorded any information that might have been useful in the investigation.

FMI:  www.faa.gov/ , www.ntsb.gov/