A helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River. Photo: ABC
The Bell 206 helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River near New York had no flight data recorders, which greatly complicates the investigation of the tragedy. This was reported by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Reuters reports.
There were tourists on board who were making one of seven sightseeing flights that day. Six people died in the crash: four on the spot and two in hospitals. The bodies of the victims, including the pilot, were recovered by New York City police divers.
The NTSB reported that:
- There were no video or photo recorders on board
- The last technical inspection of the helicopter was carried out on 1 March
- Carrier rotor, gearbox, tail rotor and tail beam are being searched for
- Some parts of the aircraft have already been delivered to laboratories in Washington
- Investigators check other helicopters of this operator – New York Helicopter Charter
The crash sparked a new wave of discussions about the safety of tourist flights in megacities, as well as the mandatory installation of flight data recorders on board even small aircraft.
On 11 April, it was reported that Agustin Escobar, the head of Siemens’ Spain and Southwest Europe division, was one of six people killed when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York (USA). The others who died in the crash were Escobar’s wife, Mers Campruby Montal, and their children aged 4, 5 and 11, and the pilot of the charter helicopter, a 36-year-old employee of New York Helicopters, whose identity has not yet been disclosed.
