On the afternoon of April 10th, a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in Manhattan, New York. Sadly, all six people aboard, including three children, perished in the accident.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the news during a press conference. It is believed that the victims included a family from Spain and the pilot.
Upon receiving multiple 911 calls reporting a helicopter crash into the Hudson River, authorities swiftly mobilized emergency response efforts involving the city police department, fire department, U.S. Coast Guard, as well as the New York and New Jersey Port Authority.
The authorities revealed that the crashed helicopter was a Bell 206 operated by the “New York Helicopter Tours.” The helicopter took off from a downtown Manhattan helipad at around 3:00 pm, flew north along the Hudson River, reached the George Washington Bridge, and then turned back south. Around 3:15 pm, the aircraft crashed into the water near Hoboken, New Jersey, across from downtown Manhattan, and sank upside down.
Witnesses captured footage showing a large object falling into the water followed by what appeared to be rotor components. Following the incident, rescue and emergency response vessels quickly reached the scene. Divers retrieved six passengers from the water, with four showing no signs of life, and the other two declared deceased after being taken to the hospital.
Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident, with the NTSB taking the lead.
The airspace in New York City has always been busy, with over twenty operators providing sightseeing and shuttle helicopter services, according to travel platform Viator. Similar accidents have occurred in recent years, including a 2018 incident where an open-door sightseeing helicopter crashed into the East River, resulting in the deaths of five passengers, with only the pilot surviving.
This latest accident has reignited concerns about helicopter flight safety. Following an incident near Washington Reagan National Airport on January 29th, where a regional airline plane collided with an Army helicopter, resulting in 67 fatalities, the FAA imposed restrictions on helicopter activities in the area and initiated a comprehensive review of helicopter flight regulations near major airports across the United States.
(Reference: This article is based on relevant reports from Reuters)