The horrific helicopter crash in New York City that claimed the lives of all six passengers is still under investigation.
Now, new details are emerging: the company responsible for the crash has a history of safety issues with its New York City excursions.
Plunged into the water
On Thursday, a sightseeing helicopter carrying a family from Spain tragically crashed into the Hudson River near Jersey City, N.J., just across from Manhattan.
The aircraft, which was carrying Agustín Escobar, Siemens’ chief executive for rail infrastructure, along with his wife and three children, plunged into the water.
Despite efforts to rescue them from the helicopter and the freezing river, none of the family members or the pilot survived the crash.
The helicopter involved in the crash was a Bell 206, operated by New York Helicopter, a company offering sightseeing tours for several hundred dollars per flight. According to sources close to the investigation, the aircraft itself was leased from a Louisiana-based company, called Meridian Helicopters.
That company describes itself as a helicopter brokerage; they sell, lease and refurbish helicopters, according to CBS.
The CEO of New York Helicopter Charter spoke to the media after the incident, expressing his uncertainty about the cause of the crash.
For nearly 30 years, CEO Michael Roth has been at the helm of the company.
”I don’t know anything how this went down. The only thing I can tell you, we are devastated. My wife hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon,” he told CBS. ”We’re a small company. I’m a father and a grandfather, and we’re just devastated. We have no clue what happened.”
”I got no clue”
When asked about the helicopter’s inspections, Roth declined to provide specifics on how often or when it was last inspected, stating, ”We follow all the rules and more.”
”The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter. And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess – I got no clue – is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know,” Roth said.
”He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,” he said.
Mechanical failures before
New York Helicopter Charter, known for its sightseeing tours around New York City, has faced multiple incidents involving mechanical failures and dangerous crashes over the years.
In 2013, a sightseeing helicopter operated by the company, carrying a family of four from Sweden, lost power mid-flight and had to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River near Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
According to Fire Chief Thomas McKavanagh, the helicopter had been airborne for 12 minutes when the pilot realized the engine had failed. Thanks to the pilot’s actions, no one was seriously injured.
But just two years later, another helicopter operated by the same company crashed in northern New Jersey after losing control just 20 feet above the ground.
Investigations revealed that the aircraft had a faulty drive shaft, which had been improperly reused after being involved in a previous hard landing in Chile.
In fact, that crash was blamed on the “deliberate concealment” of the faulty component, which had been hidden by previous owners. The helicopter involved in this earlier incident was also a Bell 206 model leased by New York Helicopter Charter from Louisiana-based Meridian Helicopters — the same company that leased the helicopter involved in Thursday’s fatal crash.
Legal disputes
According to New York Times, the company has had legal disputes as well. After the 2013 emergency landing, New York Helicopter Charter sued the maintenance company responsible for the repairs, claiming negligence in preventing the mechanical issues. This case was closed in 2018, though the outcome remains unclear.
In recent years, the company has also faced financial difficulties, with one of its helicopters being repossessed in December due to unpaid lease payments. New York Helicopter Charter had filed for bankruptcy in 2019, citing financial challenges from changing city policies regarding air traffic in New York.
Despite these ongoing safety concerns and financial issues, the company’s sightseeing tours have catered to high-profile clients, including designer Calvin Klein and hotel magnate Ian Schrager.
The debate over helicopter noise in Manhattan has intensified in recent years, with growing complaints from residents about the constant buzz overhead.
Critics argue that the noise disrupts daily life, while supporters claim the tours offer a unique experience. In response, the city has imposed stricter regulations, including designated flight paths and limits on flights, especially on Sundays, to reduce the disturbance.
This latest crash raises serious questions about the safety practices at New York Helicopter Charter, as the investigation continues into the tragic deaths of Escobar and his family.
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