Senator Schumer calls for firm behind lethal Hudson helicopter crash be stripped of proper to fly as authorities proceed to dive for wreckage
Picture by Dean Moses
Senator Chuck Schumer railed Sunday towards the corporate behind the doomed helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River Thursday, demanding that its flight license be revoked.
As authorities proceed to scour the murky depths for items of the helicopter, together with the primary rotor, Schumer didn’t mince phrases as he took New York Helicopter Excursions to process. The Senate minority chief evoked tragic photographs of the Escobar household and their three kids, aged 4, eight, and ten.
“I see that picture in my head all the time of that little boy smiling and waving so happily, and then just a short time later, he was taken from us; it just totally breaks your heart when you see that picture,” Schumer mentioned throughout an April 13 press convention on the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. “We have to do something about it; I don’t want to see more pictures like that.”
“I see that picture in my head all the time of that little boy smiling and waving so happily, and then just a short time later, he was taken from us, it just totally breaks your heart when you see that picture,” Schumer mentioned. Picture by Dean Moses 
“New York City’s helicopter tour companies, they have a deadly track record,” Schumer added.Picture by Dean Moses
Schumer charged that the flight was working beneath what known as a “Part 91,” FFA certificates, the bottom stage of security within the business, stating that he believes that well being safety is so lax that he himself would refuse to experience one. Below “Part 91,” Schumer says that the plane shouldn’t be required to have a workforce of individuals overseeing flights boosting the extent of coaching and expertise that business and passenger helicopter firms require.
“New York City’s helicopter tour companies, they have a deadly track record — 11 people killed in the last few years, and it is usually the companies, not the pilots, that are openly manipulating FAA rules, cutting corners and could well be putting profits over people,” Schumer mentioned. “We saw something like this in the FlyNyon crash in 2018 that killed five people in the East River.”
Chairman of the Japanese Area Helicopter Council Jeff Smith, in the meantime, responded to Schumer’s outrage by asking the elected official “not to jump to conclusions.”
The NYPD are utilizing “side-scanning sonar” expertise is being utilized as a way to discover the remaining wreckage. Picture by Dean Moses
“The horrible events of Thursday are still under review and until all of the facts have come forth, we ask everyone not to jump to any conclusions. We need to fully understand what happened before any actions are taken to ensure we get it right and nothing like this can ever happen again,” a part of a press release learn. “We agree with Senator Schumer’s suggestion that the industry operates under the required ATMP agreement and Part 136 requirements, in fact we already do. All helicopters operating Downtown already operate under the most stringent of regulations and we are eager to work with the Senator or his staff.”
Schumer additionally denounced a number of of the tour firms, together with FlyNyon, for slashing their costs to entice extra prospects following the notorious crash.
“Listen to this: They’re offering the same kind of flights that just took the lives of these six people, but now, because of the crash, they’re giving a 70% discount special. Outrageous… outrageous,” Schumer scoffed. “Right now, New York Helicopter Tours is under federal investigation for these deaths, but first, I am urging the FAA to pull their operating certificate immediately and cease flights until their full investigation is concluded.”
This comes because the the Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB), whom Schumer praised for his or her work following the incident, reported that the plane didn’t have a flight recorder onboard whereas including that “side-scanning sonar” expertise is being utilized as a way to discover the remaining wreckage.
“The helicopter was not equipped with any flight recorders. No onboard video recorders or camera recorders have been recovered, and none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used for the investigation,” the NTSB mentioned.
The doomed vacationer helicopter that broke aside mid-air Thursday earlier than plunging into the Hudson River, killing all onboard, was not outfitted with a black field.Picture by Dean Moses
