A helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday has raised serious safety concerns after it was revealed that the aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder. The crash killed six people, including a senior executive of Siemens AG and his family, while on a sightseeing trip. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the Bell 206 L-4 helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter Charter Inc., lacked essential safety devices, and no onboard video or camera devices have been recovered from the crash site.
The investigation is still ongoing, and divers are continuing to search the river for crucial components, including the main rotor and tail rotor. Some parts of the aircraft have already been recovered and will be sent to NTSB laboratories for detailed examination. The pilot had logged a total of 788 flight hours as of late March, but investigators are still trying to determine how many of these hours were flown in the Bell 206 model.
New York Helicopter Charter Inc. has a history of safety incidents, including an emergency landing in the Hudson River in 2013 and a hard landing in 2015. The company has been cooperating with the NTSB investigation and has expressed condolences to the families of the victims. The CEO of the company has said that the company is “tragically sorry for what happened” and is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Overall, the crash has highlighted the importance of safety equipment and procedures in helicopter operations. The lack of flight data and cockpit voice recorders has made it more difficult for investigators to determine the cause of the crash. The incident is a reminder of the need for robust safety measures to prevent such tragic accidents from occurring in the future.