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.
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.