Authorities have revealed new information about what happened to the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River in April, killing a tourist family of five and the pilot.
According to an NTSB report released on Wednesday, May 7, surveillance video and audio showed the Bell 206 helicopter traveling south before it “suddenly separated into three major sections” and crashed into the water.
Investigators recovered the helicopter’s fuselage, which included the engine, main rotor system, and tail boom.
“The fuselage came to rest, inverted, north of the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers where the water depth was about 6 ft,” according to the NTSB. Meanwhile, the remaining sections were discovered submerged at a depth of approximately 30 feet.
They also reported finding more debris on the river’s surface and on the rooftop near the transit building in Hoboken, New Jersey.
The report went on to say that the helicopter was not equipped with any video or data recording devices, and that pilot Seankese Carrell Johnson was photographed before takeoff wearing computer-augmented sunglasses with video and audio recording capabilities, but those glasses were never recovered.
Furthermore, federal investigators stated that at the time of the crash, Johnson was on a “10 days on/10 days off” schedule, and that the day of the crash was his first day back from his most recent time off. That flight marked the helicopter’s eighth tour of the day. Johnson operated them all.
AgustÃn Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubà Montal, and their three young children (ages 10, 9, and 4) were visiting New York City from Spain when the crash occurred.
The family’s funeral was held in Barcelona on Tuesday, April 22.
On April 14, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency suspension order to the sightseeing company that operated the helicopter.
According to the other, Mr. Jason Costello, the Director of Operations at NY Helicopter, “agreed that NY Helicopter would cease operations as requested” until the investigations were completed.
The preliminary report does not specify the cause of the crash. The probable cause will not be determined until the NTBS releases their final report, which is likely to be months away.
