The sightseeing -Helicopter that collapsed in the Hudson River last monthBy killing all six people on board, it suddenly broke in three pieces before they fell into the water, according to a provisional report that was released by federal researchers on Wednesday.
The report, from the National Transportation Safety Board, did not explain the destruction of the helicopter. It simply explained some of the facts that researchers gathered immediately after the tragedy on 10 April who left the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists dead.
The helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 Longranger operated by New York Helicopter Tours, flew that afternoon by about 110 miles per hour over the river, at an altitude of 625 feet to 650 feet, before it rose to around 675 and then quickly dropped, the report said. In the next seven seconds it fell more than 550 feet before it splashed in the water at around 15.15 without its rotor blades or tail
Witnesses described the hearing of “different loud ponies” of the helicopter before it separated and descended the river, the report said.
The fatal crash, one of Several in the last 15 years In and around New York City, has led to calls for more Restrictions on sightseeing -flights Or downright forbidden them. But the airspace is controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration, which has been cautious to limit access.
The passengers were Agustín Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal; and their three children, Agustín, 10; Mercè, 8; and Víctor, 4. The pilot, Seakese Johnson36, an American navy veteran who recently started flying with excursions for New York Helicopter ToursDie too.
The helicopter had left a port in Lower Manhattan, walked around the statue of freedom and ran the river. It made a U-turn near the George Washington Bridge and flew back on the New Jersey side of the river when it crashed.
The pilot was on the eighth flight of his first working day after 10 regularly planned days off, the report said. He had a commercial pilot certificate and had registered more than 790 hours of flight time, including about 50 hours when checking a Bell 206L-4said it.
The report said that the helicopter was “suddenly separated in three main sections” – the hull that held the passengers and pilot, the most important rotor system and the tail tree. The rotor system and the tail tree were restored In about 30 feet of water, north of where the hull was found, the report said.
The research was hampered by the helicopter Lack of devices for video or data recording. Photos of the pilot who left just before the helicopter left, showed that he wore “computer-augmented sunglasses” that were able to record video and audio, according to the report. But those sunglasses were not recovered.
A final, more convincing report from the safety sign is expected, but It will probably take a few months to prepare.
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