Following last week’s fatal helicopter crash into the Hudson River that killed six people, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for immediate action from federal regulators.
The New York senator is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to revoke the operating license of New York Helicopter, the tour company whose aircraft broke apart midair just minutes after takeoff.
The chopper, which had been on its eighth flight of the day, was operating under a “Part 91” license, a category with more lenient safety requirements.
According to The New York Post, Schumer plans to argue that this license type lacks rigorous training and maintenance standards that are mandatory under commercial regulations. He said these loopholes put passengers at greater risk, especially in densely populated urban areas like New York.
“The rules under Part 91 just aren’t strict enough when people’s lives are on the line,” Schumer is expected to say at a Sunday press briefing. He is also pressing the FAA to boost ramp inspections across all tour operators, including FlyNYON, a company already under scrutiny after a 2018 East River crash that killed five passengers.
According to The New York Post, a recent jury ruling found FlyNYON liable for that incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is now leading the investigation into Thursday’s crash, said the helicopter went down less than 20 minutes after departing from a Manhattan heliport.
Witnesses saw smoke billowing from the aircraft before it spiralled into the Hudson. Chilling video captured parts of the rotors crashing into the river at various points.
All six onboard died, including pilot Sean Johnson, a 36-year-old Navy veteran, and five Spanish tourists from the same family. The victims were Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their children, Agustín, 10; Mercedes, 8; and Víctor, 4.
They had just arrived in New York that day from Barcelona.
While the exact cause of the crash is still unknown, experts suspect a mechanical fault may have led to the helicopter’s main rotor striking its tail, a scenario that would cause instant midair disintegration.
As per new agency Associated Press, the NTSB has confirmed that crucial components like the transmission and rotors are still missing, and no definitive conclusions will be drawn until they’re recovered.
New York Helicopter, the company involved, has a troubled track record. In 2013, one of its helicopters lost power mid-flight, though the pilot managed a safe emergency landing. The firm has also declared bankruptcy in the past and faces ongoing lawsuits over unpaid debts. FAA records show the crashed aircraft was built in 2004 and had a documented transmission issue just last year.
The New York senator is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to revoke the operating license of New York Helicopter, the tour company whose aircraft broke apart midair just minutes after takeoff.
The chopper, which had been on its eighth flight of the day, was operating under a “Part 91” license, a category with more lenient safety requirements.
According to The New York Post, Schumer plans to argue that this license type lacks rigorous training and maintenance standards that are mandatory under commercial regulations. He said these loopholes put passengers at greater risk, especially in densely populated urban areas like New York.
“The rules under Part 91 just aren’t strict enough when people’s lives are on the line,” Schumer is expected to say at a Sunday press briefing. He is also pressing the FAA to boost ramp inspections across all tour operators, including FlyNYON, a company already under scrutiny after a 2018 East River crash that killed five passengers.
According to The New York Post, a recent jury ruling found FlyNYON liable for that incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is now leading the investigation into Thursday’s crash, said the helicopter went down less than 20 minutes after departing from a Manhattan heliport.
Witnesses saw smoke billowing from the aircraft before it spiralled into the Hudson. Chilling video captured parts of the rotors crashing into the river at various points.
All six onboard died, including pilot Sean Johnson, a 36-year-old Navy veteran, and five Spanish tourists from the same family. The victims were Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their children, Agustín, 10; Mercedes, 8; and Víctor, 4.
They had just arrived in New York that day from Barcelona.
While the exact cause of the crash is still unknown, experts suspect a mechanical fault may have led to the helicopter’s main rotor striking its tail, a scenario that would cause instant midair disintegration.
As per new agency Associated Press, the NTSB has confirmed that crucial components like the transmission and rotors are still missing, and no definitive conclusions will be drawn until they’re recovered.
New York Helicopter, the company involved, has a troubled track record. In 2013, one of its helicopters lost power mid-flight, though the pilot managed a safe emergency landing. The firm has also declared bankruptcy in the past and faces ongoing lawsuits over unpaid debts. FAA records show the crashed aircraft was built in 2004 and had a documented transmission issue just last year.
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