Helicopter company with "deadly track record" shut down after crash revealed concerning maintenance history that CEO refused to discuss
The CEO would only say they were "devastated" while refusing to answer critical questions about maintenance procedures.
Tragedy Strikes the Hudson River
A sightseeing helicopter plunged into the Hudson River last Thursday, claiming the lives of all six people on board, including three young children.
The victims included a family visiting from Spain to celebrate a 40th birthday – a celebration that ended in unimaginable tragedy.
Agustín Escobar, 49, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children – two sons aged 4 and 11, and a daughter who would have turned 9 the very next day – all perished in the crash.
The pilot, 36-year-old Seankese Johnson, a former Navy SEAL with 788 hours of flight experience, also died in the accident.
A Pattern of Incidents
This wasn't the first time New York Helicopter Tours had experienced safety issues.
The company has been involved in at least two previous incidents that triggered federal investigations.
In 2013, one of their helicopters was forced to land on water after the pilot heard a "bang" followed by an "Engine Out warning horn."
More concerning was a 2015 incident where a pilot had to make an emergency landing after hovering just 20 feet in the air.
Initial inspections of that helicopter revealed something deeply troubling about the company's maintenance practices.
Officials Demand Action
US Senator Chuck Schumer didn't mince words when addressing the company's history:
"We know there is one thing for sure about New York City's helicopter tour companies: they have a deadly track record... 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 called for federal authorities to revoke the company's operating certificate following the crash.
New York City Councilwoman Amanda Farías pushed for "a serious reevaluation of current policies" and urged "an immediate moratorium on non-essential helicopter flights from city-owned heliports."
Between 1977 and 2019, helicopter accidents in New York City have claimed at least 32 lives.
The CEO's Troubling Response
When asked specifically about the maintenance of the helicopter that crashed, CEO Michael Roth's response was telling.
"That's something my director of maintenance handles," he deflected.
The company's director of maintenance declined to comment entirely.
Roth would only add: "The only thing I can tell you is that we are devastated. I'm a father, a grandfather."
But being a parent didn't compel him to address the critical questions about his company's safety practices.
The Damning Maintenance History
What investigators discovered about the 2015 incident paints a disturbing picture of the company's approach to safety.
An FAA inspector found that there "may have been corrosion removed" from sections of the helicopter involved.
Even more alarming, some of the helicopter's component parts may have been deformed to an extent to be "considered unairworthy."
That same helicopter had previously crashed in Chile in 2010 before being acquired by the company.
The helicopter involved in Thursday's crash had its last major inspection on March 1 and had completed seven tour flights before the accident.
On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that New York Helicopter Tours is shutting down operations immediately.
The FAA will launch an immediate review of the license and safety record of the company while supporting the National Transportation Safety Board's ongoing investigation.
Divers continue searching for the helicopter's main rotor and assembly gear box, a crucial component that could provide insights into what caused the deadly crash that took six innocent lives.
