Summary
A tourist helicopter carrying a Spanish family of five and a pilot crashed into the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan, killing all 6 aboard, including 3 children.
The Bell 206 helicopter plunged into the water inverted, missing its rotor blades, just over 15 minutes after departing the Wall St. Heliport.
Witnesses described loud noises and parts falling off before impact.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating, and Jersey City officials renewed calls for tighter air traffic safety.
It’s almost like helicopters are dangerous and you shouldn’t be in one unless you really need to.
They’re only dangerous if they’re poorly maintained… like any aircraft.
Or in windy weather, or with other helicopters around, or with bad thermals…
Helicopters are 35% more dangerous than planes, but that stat includes small aircraft, which are 10x more dangerous than jets. So they are WAY more dangerous than jets. By hour they are 85x more dangerous than cars, but comparing traveling similar distances they are 4x safer than cars.
Saying they’re only dangerous compared to any aircraft if poorly maintained is just incorrect.
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Autorotation.
True, but they aren’t dangerous enough for it to be an issue during daily use.
Like any tool, they’re not dangerous unless improperly maintained or piloted. I can virtually guarantee you, this will come down to either a guilty mechanic (or policies governing mechanic activities) or a guilty pilot. This is not a consequence of “helicopters are fundamentally unsafe vehicles, unfit for tourist consumption.” Laughable.
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