New York helicopter firm shutting down following crash that killed 6

The corporate that operated the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River in New York final week, killing all six individuals on board, will shut down instantly, the Federal Aviation Administration stated late Sunday.

New York Helicopter Excursions is “shutting down their operations instantly,” the FAA stated in an announcement on X, including that it will launch a evaluation of the corporate’s license and security data.

The corporate is already topic to an investigation from the Nationwide Transportation Security Board, which stated Saturday that the helicopter was not fitted with any flight recorders or onboard cameras.

A household of 5 visiting from Spain together with three kids — plus the pilot — have been killed when the helicopter plunged into the river Thursday.

They have been Agustin Escobar, 49 and Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, and their three kids, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10. The pilot, 36-year-old Seankese Johnson, was a U.S. Navy veteran who certified as a industrial pilot in 2023 with greater than 800 hours’ flying time.

The corporate’s web site was nonetheless on-line early Monday and has for a number of days displayed a message to say it’s “profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and lack of life that occurred on April 10, 2025, involving one among our helicopters within the Hudson River.”

The message stated all press enquiries can be dealt with by federal companies. The corporate’s president, Michael Roth, didn’t reply to requests for remark from the The Related Press.

The incident has thrown a highlight on the protection of civilian helicopter flights in New York and nationally.

Hours earlier than the FAA’s announcement, Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., used a information convention to name for the corporate to stop flights till a full investigation had been concluded. He referred to as for so-called “ramp inspections,” or unscheduled security checks, for different New York helicopter flights, which he described as dangerous.

New York Mayor Eric Adams dismissed discuss of a full ban on helicopter excursions within the metropolis in an interview Friday.

The Japanese Regional Helicopter Council, an business group, informed the AP that the town’s sightseeing excursions “already function beneath essentially the most stringent of rules.”

The FAA stated it was “already analyzing airplane/helicopter hotspots nationwide” and it’s internet hosting a helicopter security panel April 22 to debate its findings and suggestions.