Witnesses of the last moments of the fatal New York Helicopters tourism flight last month heard the aircraft make several loud “bangs” before breaking into three major sections mid-flight, according to a newly-released preliminary report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
A family of five tourists from Spain and the aircraft’s pilot were killed after the Bell 206L LongRanger crashed into the Hudson River during an aerial tour of downtown Manhattan, New York, on April 10.
The helicopter was not equipped with any video or flight data recording devices, leaving the NTSB the use of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADSB) tracking data to recreate the flight.
It took off from the Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport at 2:58 p.m. local time, and flew south around the Statue of Liberty before heading north along the east side of Hudson River.
When it passed George Washington Bridge, it performed a U-turn to head south along the west side of the river. As the helicopter approached the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers near Jersey City, it entered a rapid descent, with data ending at 3:14 p.m. with the helicopter’s last observed altitude at 125 feet.
“Several witnesses described hearing several loud “bangs” emanating from the helicopter before it broke up and descended into the river,” the report states.
Surveillance video showed the aircraft heading south before suddenly separating into three main sections: fuselage (including the engine), main rotor system (including main rotor blades, transmission, and roof-beam structure), and the tail boom. All three sections came to rest in the Hudson River.
“Initial review of the helicopter’s maintenance records revealed the most recent inspection was an ‘event 2’ of a progressive 300-hour inspection and 100-hour inspection conducted on February 27, 2025,” the report states. “At the time of the accident, the helicopter had been operated about 50 hours since the inspection.”
The pilot, identified by the media as 36-year-old Navy veteran Sean Johnson, had logged 790 flight hours, and the accident flight took place on his first day back at work after 10 days off.
