New York Helicopter Tours, the company whose sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River last week, killing all six people on board, has shut down its operations, the Federal Aviation Administration announced on Sunday night.
Police and firefighters work on the site after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near lower ... More
In a post on X, the FAA said New York Helicopter Tours “is shutting down their operations immediately.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading an investigation into the crash, and the FAA said it will “continue to support” the probe while also launching an “immediate review of the tour operator's license and safety record.”
The federal regulator also sought to “broadly” address helicopter safety, saying it is already “analyzing airplane/helicopter hotspots nationwide, and we will be hosting a helicopter safety panel on April 22 to discuss the findings.”
New York Helicopter Tours’ website remained active early on Monday, and tour bookings for May 1 remained open, although all April dates were grayed out on the calendar.
The tour operator has a statement on the crash on its homepage, saying it is “profoundly saddened by the tragic accident” and is focused on “fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigations.”
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Earlier on Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged federal authorities to revoke the helicopter company’s operating certificate and increase “inspections on every other helicopter tour company.” The senator told reporters, “We know there is one thing for sure about New York City’s helicopter tour companies. They have a deadly track record, 11 people killed in the last few years and it is usually the companies, not the pilots, that are openly manipulating (FAA) rules, cutting corners and could well be putting profits over people,” Schumer said.
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