NTSB Investigates Deadly NYC Tourist Helicopter Crash on Hudson River

Investigation Underway After Fatal Helicopter Crash

• 🚨 Federal investigators from the NTSB are on the scene, working to reconstruct the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River.
• 💥 The crash occurred just before 4:00 PM yesterday, with video showing the tourist helicopter breaking apart mid-flight.
• 💔 All six people on board, including the pilot and a family of five from Spain, tragically died in the accident.

Eyewitness Accounts and Initial Findings

• 🔊 Witnesses described hearing a sonic boom and seeing the helicopter split in two, with the rotor flying off before it plunged into the water.
• 🚁 Cell phone video captured the moments before impact, showing the main rotor detaching and the helicopter flipping upside down.
• ⚠️ The loss of the main rotor system is considered the critical failure, leaving the pilot with no possibility of a safe landing.

Search for Wreckage and Maintenance Records

• 🌊 Divers are searching the icy currents of the Hudson River for submerged aircraft parts, with buoys marking the expected location of additional wreckage.
• 🛠️ Investigators will examine the maintenance records of the helicopter, operated by New York helicopters, to determine the cause of the catastrophic failure.
• ❓ The flight lasted approximately 17 minutes, and there was no distress or Mayday call, suggesting the failure was immediate and catastrophic.