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The helicopter tour company’s sightseeing dish truck broke down during flight and crashed in New York, killing the pilot and a family of five tourists from Spain, shutting down the operation immediately, the Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday.
In a statement released on X, the FAA also said it will immediately review the New York helicopter travel company’s operating license and safety records.
The move comes hours after Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York, called on federal authorities to revoke operational permits for the New York helicopter tour.
The company’s sightseeing helicopter broke in the air and fell into the Hudson River Thursday, killing tourists from Spain and pilots of Navy SEAL veterans.
In a press conference on Sunday, ahead of the FAA announcement, Schumer said the company should be asked to stop all flights when the National Transportation Safety Commission investigates a fatal crash.
Senate Democratic minority leaders also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to step up security checks on other helicopter travel companies, accusing them of “cutting corners and putting profits into profits.”
The victims included passenger Agustin Escobar, 49, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, and their three children, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10.
“One thing we can do to respect these lives and try to save others is to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Schumer said. “We know one thing about helicopter tour companies in New York City: They have a fatal record.”
Thursday’s crash caused new safety concerns about New York’s sightseeing trip, a popular tourist attraction that puts passengers high above the city with views of the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center and other landmarks.
Over the past two decades, helicopters of five commercial sightseeing flights have been trapped in the Hudson and East Rivers due to mechanical failures, pilot errors or collisions, killing 20 people.
Michael Roth, president of New York Helicopter Tour, did not respond to phone calls and email inquiries. The company said in a statement posted on its website that it is working with authorities to investigate.
In response to Schumer’s call for more oversight, an industry group Eastern Helicopter Commission said the sightseeing kitchen knife in Manhattan “already operated under the strictest regulations.”
“We are ready to work with leaders to find ways to ensure the safety and preservation of our businesses and airlines,” the organization said.
Critics of the industry have long tried to limit or ban non-essential helicopter flights, and despite limited success, their flights are unable to escape the city. Many companies moved their operations to New Jersey after New York City limited the number of flights that took off from Manhattan helicopters per year in 2016.
Two years later, in 2018, a helicopter provided an “open door” flight grabbed the fuel switch on the passenger’s restraint tether, and five people died after stopping the engine.
The reason for Thursday’s crash has not been determined. Schumer said rescue divers continued to search for the helicopter’s main rotor and assembly gear box, which would provide clues to what happened.
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