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Helicopter in lethal New York crash had no flight recorders: NTSB

Helicopter in lethal New York crash had no flight recorders: NTSB

USA, Featured3 months ago16 Views

New York Helicopter Excursions, the corporate concerned within the lethal helicopter crash in New York, is shutting down its operations instantly, the Federal Aviation Administration introduced.

“Moreover, the FAA will likely be launching a direct assessment of the tour operator’s license and security report,” the FAA mentioned in an announcement on April 13.

Divers from the New York Police Division continued restoration operations on April 13, trying to find elements of the helicopter, together with the primary rotor, gearbox, tail rotor, and a big portion of the tail increase. In the meantime, Nationwide Transportation Security Board investigators have begun evaluating the helicopter’s flight management system at a “safe location,” based on the security company.

Components which have already been recovered, such because the cockpit, cabin, horizontal stabilizer finlets, the vertical fin, and a portion of the tail increase, have been despatched to NTSB laboratories in Washington for inspection.

In an replace on April 12, the NTSB mentioned no video or digicam recorders have been recovered from the Bell 206 helicopter. The company added that not one of the digital techniques and tools on the plane had recorded info that might assist the investigation.

The plane, whose passengers included an government at tech firm Siemens, his spouse, and three kids, crashed into the Hudson River close to Jersey Metropolis, New Jersey, on April 10. Video of the incident confirmed the helicopter plunging into the water, adopted moments later by a indifferent rotor.

Divers recovered the victims in addition to the pilot from the submerged helicopter. 4 folks have been declared useless on the scene, whereas two others died later after they have been transported to close by hospitals.

Officers haven’t decided the reason for the crash however aviation consultants beforehand advised USA TODAY that video of the crash seems to point a catastrophic failure of the helicopter’s rotor. The incident is beneath investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB.

What occurred to the helicopter?

The helicopter took off at round 3 p.m. on April 10 from a heliport in downtown Manhattan for an aerial tour of the town, authorities mentioned. The plane flew north alongside the Hudson River and later turned south after reaching the George Washington Bridge, based on New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

The helicopter then crashed at about 3:15 p.m., hitting the water the wrong way up close to Jersey Metropolis, authorities mentioned. The victims have been later recognized as pilot Seankese Johnson, 36, and a household of 5 visiting from Spain, together with Agustin Escobar, his spouse, and their three kids, ages 4, 8, and 10.

Escobar, a senior government at Siemens, was in New York Metropolis on enterprise however prolonged the journey so he and his household might have a good time his daughter’s ninth birthday on April 11, based on Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey Metropolis.

The helicopter was operated by New York Helicopter Constitution Inc. and owned by Meridian Helicopters LLC, primarily based in Louisiana. In keeping with the NTSB, the helicopter’s final main inspection was on March 1, and accomplished seven tour flights earlier than the crash.

The NTSB mentioned on April 12 that its investigators met with representatives from the helicopter operator to assessment operational data, insurance policies and procedures, security administration techniques, and the pilot’s expertise. NTSB investigators additionally examined two comparable helicopters as a part of the probe.

Schumer: ‘Often the businesses, not the pilots, which can be brazenly manipulating FAA guidelines’

The crash renewed security issues in regards to the aerial tourism business. Helicopter excursions in New York have been controversial, and a few flights have turned lethal, USA TODAY reported.

Earlier on April 13, Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer urged the FAA to instantly revoke the corporate’s working certificates. Schumer additionally known as on the FAA to extend rules for helicopter excursions, together with increasing ramp inspections — shock security inspections — at helicopter tour firms throughout New York Metropolis.

“There’s one factor for certain about New York Metropolis’s helicopter tour firms, they’ve a lethal monitor report,” Schumer mentioned at a information convention. “It’s normally the businesses, not the pilots, which can be brazenly manipulating FAA guidelines, reducing corners and will properly be placing income over folks.”

Data obtained by USA TODAY confirmed that New York Helicopter Constitution Inc. was beforehand concerned in two security incidents in 2013 and 2015.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Christopher Cann, and Michael Loria, USA TODAY; Reuters