New York Helicopter, the operator, has a history of incidents and financial issues, raising safety concerns

The FINANCIAL — On April 10, 2025, a Bell 206L LongRanger helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near Jersey City, killing all six people on board. The victims included Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive, his wife, their three children, and the pilot. The helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter and leased from Meridian Helicopters, was on a sightseeing tour, having taken off from Downtown Manhattan Heliport.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, but no final cause has been determined. Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang and seeing the rotor detach, suggesting possible mechanical failure. The operator’s history, including past incidents and financial troubles like a 2019 bankruptcy, is under scrutiny.

This crash is the deadliest in NYC since 2018, when another tourist helicopter crash killed five. Since 1977, 32 people have died in helicopter crashes in NYC, pointing to persistent safety challenges in the tourism sector. New York Helicopter’s past issues, such as a 2013 emergency landing and a 2015 crash due to an unairworthy drive shaft, add to concerns about oversight.

On April 10, 2025, at approximately 3:15 p.m., a tragic helicopter crash occurred in the Hudson River near Jersey City, New Jersey, across from Manhattan, close to the Holland Tunnel ventilation building. This incident, involving a Bell 206L LongRanger operated by New York Helicopter and leased from Meridian Helicopters in Louisiana, resulted in the deaths of all six people on board, marking it as a significant aviation event in New York City for the year.

The crash has prompted an ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and local authorities, with preliminary findings and historical context shedding light on potential causes and broader safety concerns.

Incident Details

The helicopter, built in 2004 with an airworthiness certificate valid until 2029, took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport for a sightseeing tour. It carried Agustín Escobar, the chief executive of Siemens’s rail infrastructure division, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, their three children aged 4, 8, and 10, and an unnamed pilot. The flight path included circling the Statue of Liberty, flying north to the George Washington Bridge, and then heading south along the New Jersey shoreline when it crashed.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang and seeing the helicopter tumble, with its rotor detaching mid-air, before it nose-dived into the water. Video footage captured the helicopter breaking apart, with debris flying toward a nearby boat, underscoring the severity of the impact.

Emergency response was swift, involving the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and local fire and police departments. Two passengers were initially pulled from the water alive but later died at the hospital, while the other four were pronounced dead at the scene. Mayor Eric Adams expressed condolences, stating, “Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all those impacted by this horrible incident.” NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed the ongoing investigation, with the NTSB leading efforts to determine the cause.

Investigation and Preliminary Findings

As of April 11, 2025, the investigation is still in its early stages, and no final cause has been determined. However, witness accounts of the rotor detaching and the helicopter spiraling suggest possible mechanical failure, such as issues with the main rotor or tail rotor. The NTSB is analyzing flight data, maintenance records, and wreckage to identify contributing factors.

Given the operator’s history, there is particular scrutiny on the helicopter’s maintenance. New York Helicopter had prior incidents, including a 2013 emergency landing in the Hudson River due to power loss (with no serious injuries) and a 2015 crash in New Jersey attributed to an unairworthy drive shaft, which resulted in a hard landing.

Financial and legal issues further complicate the picture. New York Helicopter filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and had the helicopter repossessed in December 2024 for unpaid lease payments totaling $1.4 million to PHI Aviation. Additionally, the company sued its maintenance provider in 2016, with the case closing in 2018, though the outcome remains unclear. These factors raise questions about whether proper safety protocols were followed, especially given the aircraft’s age and the operator’s financial instability.

This crash is the deadliest helicopter incident in the NYC area since 2018, when a tourist helicopter crashed into the East River, killing all five on board. According to the Associated Press, since 1977, 32 people have died in helicopter crashes in NYC, highlighting a persistent safety challenge in the tourism sector. This is the third fatal crash involving tourism helicopters in NYC in the past 20 years, underscoring ongoing risks. The airspace around Manhattan is crowded with helicopters offering sightseeing tours, with at least two dozen operators listed on tour websites like Viator, increasing the potential for accidents.

Historical data shows a pattern of incidents, including the 2009 Hudson River mid-air collision that killed nine and the 1945 Empire State Building crash. Post-2018, NYC banned open-door helicopter flights to enhance safety, but the sector remains under scrutiny. The operator, New York Helicopter, has been part of this landscape, with its past incidents and financial troubles adding to concerns about regulatory oversight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) faces criticism for gaps in inspecting general aviation maintenance, as noted in a 2023 Government Accountability Office report, which may have implications for this case.

The crash has left the community and aviation industry reeling, particularly given the loss of a family on a sightseeing tour meant to showcase NYC’s iconic skyline. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called it “an unimaginable tragedy” in an X post, reflecting international attention. Local residents, such as witnesses who saw the helicopter fall, expressed shock, with one describing it as “like a sonic boom” and another watching it “split in two.” The incident has reignited debates about helicopter tourism safety, with advocacy groups like Stop the Chop NY-NJ pushing for stricter regulations.

How Safe is Air Travel?

Compare it to other major forms of transportation – with 0.04 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, train travel is much more dangerous than airplanes’ 0.01 deaths per 100 million miles. However, air travel is only as safe as the operator, the equipment, and the training procedures that underlie the flight itself. Without stringent aviation safety training and controls, air travel is unsafe for private and commercial passengers.

In the United States, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) tracks aviation accident statistics and investigates aviation disasters.

In 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board estimated a total of nearly 24 million flight hours. Of these 24 million hours, 6.84 of every 100,000 flight hours yielded an airplane crash, and 1.19 of every 100,000 yielded a fatal crash. This is down from an all-time high of 9.08 accidents per 100,000 hours in 1994. These numbers are higher for private flights, but private flights are much harder to document due to lax government regulation and non-reporting. Private plane crashes have been on the decline since the 1980s, but user error and insufficient training still contributes to many more accidents than are necessary each year.

2025 Commercial Airplane Crashes: (Up To Date)
January:

An Airbus A321-200 operating as Air Busan Flight 391, bound for Hong Kong from Busan, caught fire just before takeoff at Gimhae International Airport. All 176 passengers and crew survived, though seven sustained injuries.

A Beechcraft 1900 operated by Light Air Services, transporting oil workers, crashed shortly after departing from GPOC Unity Airstrip in South Sudan. Of the 21 people onboard, only one survived.

During the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision, American Eagle Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ700 operated by PSA Airlines, collided with a US Army Sikorsky UH-60L helicopter over the Potomac River. The accident resulted in the deaths of all 64 people on the CRJ700 and all three aboard the UH-60L.

Med Jets Flight 056, a Learjet 55 operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, crashed in Philadelphia’s Castor Gardens neighborhood shortly after takeoff. There were no survivors.

February:

Bering Air Flight 445, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan en route from Unalakleet to Nome, Alaska, vanished over Norton Sound. The wreckage was found the next day, confirming the deaths of all 10 onboard.

Delta Connection Flight 4819, a Bombardier CRJ-900, crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport. While all 76 passengers and four crew members survived, 18 sustained injuries.

March:

Lanhsa Flight 018, a British Aerospace Jetstream 32, crashed into the sea after overrunning the runway during takeoff from Roatán Airport. Thirteen of the 18 people on board lost their lives.

A Trident Aviation DHC-5 cargo plane crashed in a field near Mogadishu, Somalia, following a technical failure, resulting in the deaths of all five people on board.

2024 Commercial Airplane Crashes:
January:

The 2024 Haneda Airport runway collision involved Japan Airlines Flight 516, an Airbus A350 from New Chitose Airport, colliding with a Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft during landing. While all 379 occupants of the Japan Airlines flight were evacuated safely, tragically, five of the six occupants aboard the Coast Guard aircraft lost their lives. Both aircraft were destroyed in the incident, marking the first hull loss of an Airbus A350. The destroyed DHC-8 was set to provide support in response to the Noto earthquake the previous day.

Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 departing from Portland International Airport, experienced uncontrolled decompression when a plug covering an unused exit door blew out. Despite the harrowing incident, the aircraft made a safe return to Portland with all 177 passengers and crew surviving. Fortunately, nobody was seated next to the blown-out door plug, and only three injuries were reported onboard. Various belongings, including an iPhone, fell from the aircraft, with the owner later reclaiming their undamaged phone.

A Jetways Airlines Fokker 50 crashed during a humanitarian aid flight from Mogadishu to Ceel Barde, Somalia. The aircraft ran off the runway upon arrival at its destination, striking a house and resulting in the loss of one of the four occupants.

A Northwestern Air British Aerospace Jetstream crashed shortly after takeoff while transporting mine workers from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, to the Diavik Diamond Mine in Northwest Territories, Canada. Tragically, six of the seven passengers and crew lost their lives as the aircraft made impact with the ground 500 meters (1600 feet) from the end of the runway.

February:

Air Serbia Flight 324, operated by Marathon Airlines using an Embraer 195, hit the landing lights during takeoff at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The aircraft continued to fly for another hour before making an emergency landing back at the same airport, despite sustaining a large hole in its fuselage. Remarkably, all 111 occupants on board survived without injury.

March:

In the 2024 Nairobi mid-air collision, Safarilink Aviation Flight 53, a De Havilland Canada Dash 8, collided with a Cessna 172. The collision resulted in the Cessna 172 crashing and killing both of its occupants, while the Dash 8 managed to land safely.

LATAM Airlines Flight 800, a Boeing 787-9 traveling from Sydney to Auckland, experienced an in-flight upset that resulted in injuries to 50 passengers. Despite the incident, the flight landed safely at Auckland Airport.

In the 2024 Malakal Airport collision, a Safe Air Company Boeing 727-200 on a cargo flight from Juba Airport undershot the runway and collided with an MD-82 while attempting to land at Malakal Airport, South Sudan. All seven crew members on board survived, with one sustaining injuries.

May:

During Singapore Airlines Flight 321 from London-Heathrow to Singapore, carrying 229 people, the Boeing 777-300ER encountered severe turbulence, resulting in one passenger’s death and injuring 30 others. The plane made an emergency landing in Bangkok.

July:

Gazpromavia Flight 9608, a Sukhoi Superjet 100, was on a ferry flight from Lukhovitsy to Moscow when it crashed during an emergency landing attempt near Moscow. Tragically, all three crew members lost their lives in the accident.

A Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ-200ER crashed shortly after departing from Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport on its way to Pokhara International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 18 of the 19 people on board.

Aviation Crashes and Injuries Statistics

Our team worked on gathering data on all aviation crashes from 1982 until the latest available data for 2019. We sorted the total injuries into 3 tiers: fatal injuries, serious injuries, and minor injuries. Here’s a chart that visualizes all the aviation crashes and injuries we’ve analyzed for this study:

Additionally, here’s the full table of data for all aviation crashes that took place between 1982 and 2019.

Please note that the data for 2019 is incomplete which explains the sharp decline in crashes.

Nearly Half of All Aviation Crashes Happen During Landing or Takeoff

One fact becomes clear after looking at historic aviation crash data and focusing on the phase of flight during which the crash took place: Landing and Takeoff are the most complex phases of flight for any airplane. Nearly half of all the aviation crashes we analyzed covering the period 1983 – 2019 took place during either landing or take off procedures. These phases place a heavy load on airline crews and ground teams as well.

The tough combination of constant airplane configuration changes, having to navigate the plane, communicating with Air Traffic Control, and keeping an eye on ever-changing weather conditions increases the potential for unanticipated events which sometimes leads to a crash.

This following chart visualizes the disparity in aviation crashes when looking at the phase of flight in which the accident took place:

General Aviation Aircraft Involved in 78% of Crashes

Furthermore, our team analyzed the types of flights involved in the most crashes and found that general aviation aircraft were involved in almost 78% of all crashes. General aviation aircraft include all civilian flights except for passenger or cargo transport that is scheduled by an airline company.

One of the main reasons why general aviation planes are involved in so many crashes is that there are many more of them flying than scheduled commercial flights.

However, if we look at the percentage of fatal accidents by the type of flight, we see that general aviation was involved in almost 45%, while non-US commercial and other flights share almost half of crashes that involved a fatality.