Thursday’s Nyc Crash The Latest In Dozens Of Helicopter-related Deaths There

• The deadly clang successful nan Hudson River connected Thursday is only nan latest successful a agelong statement of helicopter-related incidents successful nan New York City metropolitan area. There person been much than 2 twelve fatalities since 1977.
• Advocacy groups constituent to nan astir 30,000 tourer flights taking disconnected from helipads downtown arsenic a long-standing nuisance for New Yorkers.
• Officials astatine nan national and section levels are looking to either limit nan number of flights aliases require them to beryllium electrical erstwhile nan national authorities approves nan caller technology.

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New York City officials stood down a podium Thursday day to springiness updates connected nan tourer chopper that had collapsed into nan Hudson River earlier that day. Six perished successful nan crash, including a CEO of tech institution Siemens and his family.

“Our hearts spell retired to nan families,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “It’s almost reminiscent of nan level going down present connected nan Hudson River.”

While Adams references nan Airbus A320 that crash landed into nan Hudson River connected Jan. 15, 2009, aft losing motor powerfulness owed to striking a flock of birds, nan New York metropolitan area has seen much caller chopper crashes. 

According to nan Associated Press, nan metro had seen astatine slightest 32 group dice successful chopper crashes making love backmost to 1977. Since 1977, rules person tightened wherever an craft tin land. Most recently, a chopper collapsed into an agency building successful Midtown Manhattan connected a foggy time successful 2019. 

A fewer weeks earlier that crash, a chopper aviator was pulled from nan Hudson River aft his craft plummeted into nan water. A tourism chopper collided pinch a backstage level complete nan Hudson River successful 2009, sidesplitting nan Italian family aboard that was sightseeing, AP reports. Another sightseeing chopper collapsed into nan Hudson 2 years prior, pinch passengers making it retired alive.

‘Disaster waiting to happen’

New York City group “Stop nan Chop” said to Staten Island-based SILive astir really nan January 2025 collision betwixt an Army chopper and an inbound commercialized formation into Reagan National Airport. They opportunity it should person been a wake-up telephone for metropolis officials.

Founder Andrew Rosenthal said helicopters successful nan metropolis create a vulnerable situation. He says it could lead to a clang landing successful 1 of nan country’s astir densely populated areas.

When not deadly, a section nuisance

The defense statement has agelong pushed for tighter regulations connected nan number of non-essential chopper flights astir nan city. They opportunity nan astir 30,000 tourer flights supra their heads annually disrupt businesses, harm nan situation and airs a information risk. 

Just past month, U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, D-N.J., called connected nan Department of Transportation to reside aerial congestion successful nan New York Metro.

“Since coming to Congress, I person consistently worked to reside nan impacts of non-essential chopper traffic, moving straight pinch nan FAA and introducing authorities to set postulation patterns to limit disruptions successful our organization and curb chopper noise,” he said. “It’s captious that nan caller management ensures location is stableness astatine nan FAA and that we person nan staff, resources, and rules successful spot to support our passengers and aviation professionals safe.” 

Legislation incoming

His bill, nan Communities Before Air Tourism Act, would require nan Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service (NPS) to consult pinch nan communities surviving nether prospective chopper routes erstwhile considering Air Tour Management Voluntary Agreements.

Locally, nan New York City Council has considered aggregate bills to mitigate nan dense aerial postulation complete their constituents’ heads.

One measurement would prohibition non-essential flights from nan 2 city-owned downtown helipads. The different would only let electrical helicopters to alert from those locations erstwhile nan FAA certifies them.