New report shows NYC helicopter breaking apart in midair before crash that killed 6

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal officers on Wednesday launched photographs of a doomed New York Metropolis sightseeing helicopter because it broke aside in midair final month, killing six people.

The sequence of nonetheless images taken from surveillance digital camera video exhibits the fuselage, containing the engine and rotors, separating from the helicopter’s tail. The rotor blades and the transmission then detach from the cabin that’s carrying the passengers and the pilot.

The pictures have been included within the preliminary report concerning the flight launched by the National Transportation Safety Board.

“A number of witnesses described listening to a number of loud ‘bangs’ emanating from the helicopter earlier than it broke up and descended into the river,” the report says.

Justin Inexperienced, an aviation lawyer and former Marine helicopter pilot, mentioned the sequence of photographs exhibits the helicopter yawing severely and the tail increase failing, suggesting it was almost certainly struck by the plane’s principal rotor blades throughout flight.

“It’s clear that some mechanical difficulty precipitated the breakup,” he mentioned.

The preliminary report, which runs about six pages, doesn’t handle the preliminary reason for the breakup. That, Inexperienced mentioned, will possible be decided by a forensic examination of the wreckage itself, together with the rotor blades, the engine and transmission.

“A tail strike could possibly be brought on by a pilot not dealing with a lack of energy emergency and permitting the rotor rpm to decay, which makes the rotors flap up and down extra and that may trigger a strike,” he mentioned.

The plane, a Bell 206L-4 inbuilt 2004, additionally gave the impression to be pretty outdated and nicely used, in line with Inexperienced.

On the time of the crash, the helicopter had operated about 50 hours since its final inspection on Feb. 27, in line with the NTSB report. The helicopter’s airframe accrued almost 13,000 whole hours of operation, and the engine accrued greater than 23,000 hours.

Federal Aviation Administration information additionally present the plane had a upkeep difficulty final September involving its transmission meeting.

“The NTSB will probably be trying on the overhaul and upkeep information to ensure the whole lot is updated,” Inexperienced mentioned.

The NTSB mentioned beforehand that the plane, operated by tour firm New York Helicopter, was not geared up with any video or knowledge recording gadgets.

However on Wednesday, it mentioned pictures taken beforehand present that the pilot, Seankese Johnson, was sporting computer-augmented sun shades, which might have had video and audio recording functionality. The glasses haven’t been recovered.

Johnson, a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL, acquired his industrial pilot’s license in 2023 and had logged 790 hours of flight time, the NTSB report mentioned.

However he did not seem like notably skilled flying a Bell 206L-4, noticed Al Yurman, a retired NTSB investigator. The company mentioned in its report Johnson had fewer than 50 hours of flight in that sort of plane.

“It is fairly refined for that sort of labor,” Yurman mentioned. “I would favor to have somebody extra skilled, however we’ll know extra when the total report comes out.”

The report mentioned Johnson labored a “10 days on/10 days off schedule” and the April 10 flight was his first day again after 10 days off. The flight was additionally the eighth that day for the pilot and the helicopter.

The plane was on a typical tour, departing from the downtown heliport by Wall Avenue round 3 p.m. and flying north alongside the Manhattan skyline earlier than heading south towards the Statue of Liberty.

Lower than 18 minutes into the flight, witnesses noticed the tail and principal rotor break free and smoke pouring from the spinning helicopter.

Lately New York Helicopter, the tour firm, went by chapter and confronted ongoing lawsuits over alleged money owed.

The corporate has mentioned it’s cooperating with authorities within the investigation. Nobody answered the telephone at its workplace or responded to an e-mail searching for touch upon Wednesday.

The crash was amongst a current string of plane disasters and shut calls that left some folks worried about the safety of flying within the U.S. It additionally revived concerns concerning the well-liked and dear aerial excursions over New York Metropolis.

5 industrial sightseeing helicopters have gone down within the rivers round Manhattan since 2005 on account of mechanical failure, pilot error or collision, killing 20 people.

The April 10 crash killed a distinguished household from Barcelona, Spain: Agustín Escobar, 49; Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their youngsters Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10.

Officers have mentioned Escobar, world CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, was within the New York space on enterprise.

Montal, who labored for Siemens Vitality and was the granddaughter of a former president of the well-known Barcelona FC soccer membership, flew in with their youngsters to fulfill him.