NEW YORK (AP) - Federal officials on Wednesday shared unsettling images of a sightseeing helicopter that tragically broke apart midair in New York City last month, resulting in the deaths of six individuals. The still photographs, captured from surveillance footage, depict the fuselage, which houses the engine and rotors, separating from the helicopter's tail. Following this, the rotor blades and transmission detach from the cabin carrying the passengers and pilot.
The images were part of a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which indicated that multiple witnesses reported hearing loud 'bangs' coming from the helicopter before it disintegrated and descended into the river. Justin Green, an aviation attorney and former Marine helicopter pilot, noted that the photographs demonstrate significant yawing of the helicopter, leading to a failure of the tail boom. This scenario suggests a possible strike by the rotor blades during flight.
"It’s clear that some mechanical issue precipitated the breakup," Green remarked. While the initial report, comprised of roughly six pages, does not pinpoint the exact cause of the breakup, Green anticipates that a forensic examination of the wreckage, including the rotor blades, engine, and transmission, will provide clarity.
The helicopter in question, a Bell 206L-4 manufactured in 2004, showed signs of age and extensive use. According to the NTSB report, the aircraft had operated approximately 50 hours after its last inspection on February 27. With nearly 13,000 total hours of operation on its airframe and over 23,000 hours on the engine, the helicopter's maintenance history is under scrutiny. Notably, FAA records indicated a maintenance issue involving the transmission assembly the previous September. "The NTSB will be looking at the overhaul and maintenance records to ensure everything is up to date," Green added.
While the NTSB previously noted that the helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter, lacked video or data recording devices, they revealed on Wednesday that the pilot, Seankese Johnson, was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses capable of recording video and audio. However, these glasses have yet to be recovered. Johnson, a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL with a commercial pilot's license obtained in 2023, had logged 790 flight hours, yet he had less than 50 hours of experience flying the Bell 206L-4 model.
"It's quite sophisticated for that type of work," stated Al Yurman, a retired NTSB investigator, expressing concerns about Johnson's experience level. The report noted Johnson had just returned to work after a 10-day break; the April 10 flight was the pilot's eighth of the day.
The helicopter took off for a standard sightseeing tour from the downtown heliport near Wall Street at approximately 3 p.m. and was navigating north along the Manhattan skyline en route to the Statue of Liberty. Less than 18 minutes into the flight, bystanders witnessed the tail and main rotor separate from the helicopter, accompanied by smoke emanating from the spinning craft.
In recent years, New York Helicopter has faced bankruptcy and ongoing lawsuits relating to alleged debts. Although the company claims to be cooperating with the investigation, representatives failed to provide comments when contacted.
This incident has raised alarms about aviation safety in the U.S., particularly concerning sightseeing tours over New York City. Since 2005, five commercial sightseeing helicopters have crashed into rivers around Manhattan, resulting in 20 fatalities due to mechanical failures, pilot errors, or collisions. The April 10 crash tragically claimed the lives of a notable family from Barcelona, Spain: Agustín Escobar, 49; Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their children Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10.
Officials reported that Escobar, a global CEO at Siemens Mobility, was in New York for business at the time of the tragedy. Montal worked for Siemens Energy and was the granddaughter of a former president of Barcelona FC; she had arrived with their children to reunite with Escobar.
