The helicopter tour firm that was involved in last week’s deadly crash over the Hudson River, which claimed the lives of six people, is shutting down operations, U.S. officials confirmed on Sunday.
The tragic accident killed a senior corporate executive, his wife, and three children, along with the pilot. The family had been on an outing described by the company as the “ultimate sightseeing tour of New York City.”
After the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed on X, “New York Helicopter Tours is closing their operations immediately.” The FAA continued, “The FAA will be conducting an immediate review of the tour operator’s license and safety record.”
The crash has called for a closer examination of aviation safety regulations, particularly in the face of a chain of recent airline disasters in the U.S. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is already leading the way in performing an investigation to determine the exact cause as to why the helicopter collapsed.
The officials of Jersey City have proposed a number of reasons as to why the crash occurred, from a collision with a drone, a bird strike, or a mechanical failure. Video footage that emerged depicts the rotor appearing to detach from the fuselage of the helicopter in flight.
This accident follows a string of recent air crashes in the United States. In an earlier incident this year, 67 individuals lost their lives when a military helicopter and a commercial plane collided in Washington. In another incident on Friday, a small plane crashed shortly after it took off from Boca Raton airport in Florida, reportedly as a result of a mechanical issue, killing three individuals.
