NTSB finds tour helicopter that crashed into Hudson River was not equipped with any flight recorders
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Saturday the Bell 206 L-4 tour helicopter that plummeted into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing all six people onboard, was not equipped with any flight recorders.
A pilot and five members of a family visiting from Spain, including Siemens executive Agustin Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal; and their three young children, were pulled from the water by divers and pronounced dead.
As of Saturday night, no onboard video recorders or camera recorders were recovered, and none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used for the investigation.
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NTSB investigators started evaluating the helicopter’s flight control system, and drivers found the main fuselage, including the cockpit and cabin, forward portion of the tail boom, horizontal stabilizer finlets and vertical fin.
Some of the recovered parts will be sent to the NTSB laboratories in Washington for closer inspection, according to the agency.
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Divers from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) are continuing to search for the helicopter’s main rotor, main gear box, tail rotor and a large portion of the tail boom, NTSB said.
Side-scanning sonar is being used to identify potential locations of wreckage, and recovery operations will continue Sunday.
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NTSB investigators met with representatives from the helicopter’s operator, New York Helicopter Charter Inc., to review operational records, policies and procedures, safety management systems and the pilot’s experience.
Investigators also examined two exemplar helicopters, according to the statement.
The helicopter involved in the crash had its last major inspection on March 1, according to the NTSB.
Before the crash, the helicopter had completed seven tour flights, according to officials. The wreck happened during the eighth flight of the day.
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Parties to the investigation include the Federal Aviation Administration, Bell Helicopter and Rolls-Royce, according to the NTSB.