Posted on 04/11/2025 4:59:18 AM PDT by Angelino97
New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal has called for a ban on sightseeing helicopter tours in New York City — sensationally saying Thursday’s tragic crash in the Hudson River narrowly avoided disaster had the chopper crashed into a densely-populated area.
Including this week’s harrowing tragedy, a total of 25 people have died in the Big Apple during sightseeing helicopter tours in the last 40 years.
Now, Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan) expressed a strong desire to limit traffic over the city to just first responders and press — and said NYC should ditch sightseeing chopper tours.
“There’s no reason to allow tourists and tour flight operators to use our valuable precious airspace,” he told ABC 7 New York.
The state legislator added that there’s too little safety regulations in place for such tours taking place daily.
“The danger is that FAA regulates airspace above 500 feet, so the city and state are prohibited from passing laws that make tourist choppers safer,” he added.
On Thursday, a Spanish family-of-five and an unidentified pilot tragically died after the the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter they were on plummeted into the Hudson River.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
The problem is there is a steady stream of helicopters over the Hudson and East River and Central Park. It’s a noise issue and a safety issue.
If the main rotor frees itself from the aircraft with the control tubes still in tact, then one or both rotor blades will pull full pitch before the control tubes break.
One blade pulling full pitch (after the other one breaks) will cause that blade to go straight up thereby pulling the other straight down causing it to strike the tail boom as it continues to rotate.
I do not think that aircraft is rated for aerobatics. Even if it were the pilot would have to be drunk or on drugs to play such games with passengers on board. The cause of the crash is most likely poor maintenance leading to a mechanical failure. Someone with a democrat mentality sabotaging it cannot be ruled out.
The Jet Ranger’s military counterpart is the OH-58. I’ve had many a rides in those. What’s really fun is when the pilot cuts power and the helicopter free falls in an auto rotation and expected to make a running landing. I was in a UH-1 when that happened. I also piloted a Cobra on a gun run once.
This is stupid. Accidents happen. Wait for the report and institute any changes needed AFTER you get the reasons why.
Complete with a '53 mercury antenna next to the windshield!
The helicopter apparently came apart in mid-air, the rotor came off, hit the tail and there was no recovering from that.
There will be an investigation, of course, but it looks like a possible maintenance issue or metal fatigue
Very sad and sorry for the families.
I wanted to take a helicopter tour in Hawaii - but family was too afraid to go.
Read the rotorblade separated from the body of the helicopter, without lift from the blade the helicopter met gravity immediately. I will wait for the results but the pictures clearly show no rotorblade.
The old joke on fighter planes, designed by doctorate engineers, built by guys with a masters degree, flown by a college grad, maintained by highschool dropouts.
Maybe they should ban rivers.
Or air.
If I recall, the Jet Ranger was leased or sold to PG&E, a utility, for transmission line work. Seems the pilot tried to set down on a muddy slope one day, stuck one skid and flipped it. He can’t do that again. Be glad you don’t live near salt water. There’s a reason (political) it’s called the deep blue sea.
The Bell Jat RAnger - AKA the Death RAnger is not cheap, but is a POS.
Look up “mast bump” or “Mast strike?” with either Bell or Jet ranger as a modifier. Killed a lot of GI’s back in the day
With the helicopter crash and a few airplane crashes why not just ban both helicopters and airplanes?
Bad speculation, it isn’t long enough to hit the tail rotor. Could have cut off the boom, but most likely separated from the mast then cut the boom. Had he been doing tricks, might have gotten to a low G situation and the main rotor departed.
He would sweat less than having the main rotor gone.
New Yorkers, especially Manhattanites, are used to noise from all sources. NYC is 24/7 noise. It is The City That Never Sleeps.
I’ve lived in Manhattan for over fifty years. Also, if you lived here you would know about the TopTheChop movemment, and the longtime efforts to stop or at least curtail the tourist helicopters. (Which are from NJ and mostly owned by people in Louisiana.)
A Fox news story suggests a bird strike. Maybe that would give the 1 to 1 vibration, which would be one hell of a vibration.
I don’t know how well made the 206’s main rotor blades are, but I watched the replacement of an AH-1G Cobra blades once. One blade had a bird strike that put one hell of a dent in the blade’s leading edge. However the blade did not fail to the extent of causing a crash.
I’m also puzzled over the supposed maneuvers of the pilot prior to crash. I’m suspecting some mechanical issue made the helicopter’s flight erratic and difficult to control.
The FAA investigators will likely figure out what failed and why the crash happened.
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