The company that operated the Bell 206 L-4 helicopter that crashed into Hudson River near New York City on 10 April is ceasing flights.
That is according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which confirms on 14 April that “New York Helicopter Tours… is shutting down their operations immediately”.
The news comes several days after a Bell operated by the firm broke apart and crashed into the river during a sightseeing flight, killing all six people aboard.
New York Helicopter declines to comment to FlightGlobal.
“The FAA will be launching an immediate review of the tour operator’s license and safety record,” the FAA adds. It plans to host a “helicopter safety panel” on 22 April to discuss risks associated with helicopter flights.
The agency has been looking closer at such risks since a US Army Sikorsky Black Hawk UH-60 helicopter collided in January with a PSA Airlines regional jet, killing all 67 people on both aircraft.
Video circulating on social media shows the Bell 206 coming apart above the Hudson River. The main rotor appears to separate, sending the cabin falling into the water.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is also investigating the incident, said on 12 April that its investigators had “met with representatives” from New York Helicopter. The NTSB is seeking “operational records, policies and procedures, safety management systems and the pilot’s experience” from the operator.
Additionally, the NTSB said divers with the New York Police Department had recovered the helicopter’s main fuselage (including its cockpit and cabin), horizontal stabiliser finlets, vertical fin and the forward portion of its tail. Divers were still searching for the Bell’s main rotor, mean gear box, tail rotor and much of its tail boom.
The Bell had last undergone a “major inspection” on 1 March and had completed seven tour flights on the day of the accident prior to the flight that crashed, the NTSB says.
It adds that the Bell was not equipped with any flight recorders.
