Helicopter Company Involved In Siemens Spanish Boss Crash To Shut Down

The sightseeing company whose helicopter carrying Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive from Spain, his wife and three children crashed into the Hudson River last week, is shutting operations immediately, authorities said on Sunday.

The New York Helicopter Tours will no longer offer services, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, adding that the authorities will launch an immediate review of the operator's licence and safety record.

In a post on X, the FAA also addressed questions concerning chopper safety, saying it was already analysing aeroplane and helicopter hotspots nationwide, and "we will be hosting a helicopter safety panel on April 22 to discuss the findings, risks, and additional mitigation options."

"Safety is the FAA's number one priority, and we will not hesitate to act to protect the flying public," it added.

On Friday, the chopper with six people - Agustin Escobar, 49; his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal; and their three children – two sons, ages 4 and 11, and a daughter who would have turned 9 on Friday, took off from New York at around 3 PM.

According to radar data, it sailed along the Manhattan skyline before heading back south towards the Statue of Liberty.

Multiple videos going viral on social media showed components of the aircraft wobbling, spiralling and plunging into the river close to Jersey City, New Jersey's waterfront.

The family was visiting from Barcelona, Spain, to celebrate Ms Camprubi's 40th birthday, according to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop.

Constructed in 2004, the Bell206L-4 LongRanger IV aircraft had flown 12,728 hours before it needed repairs. The chopper had its airworthiness certificate in 2016, and it was valid until 2029.

The tour company was previously involved in two safety-related incidents. On previous occasions, the helicopter pilots were forced to make emergency landings. In the 2015 incident, the initial inspection suggested there “may have been corrosion removed” from parts of the aircraft and some of its components may have been deformed to be “considered unairworthy,” CNN reported.

Two years before that incident, a pilot for the same company had to land a helicopter carrying four people on the water near Manhattan after the “Engine Out warning horn.”

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the latest crash.

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