Doomed NYC helicopter broke into three major pieces

8/5/2025 6:04

A tourist helicopter that crashed into

New York City's Hudson River last month, killing all six people

on board, broke into three major pieces before descending

rapidly, the National Transportation Safety Board said on

Wednesday.



The Bell 206 chopper, operated by New York Helicopter Tours,

departed on April 10 at 2:58 p.m. ET from a downtown Manhattan

helicopter pad and flew north over the Hudson River before

crashing about 17 minutes later, the NTSB said in a report.



Several witnesses described hearing several loud "bangs"

coming from the helicopter before it broke up and descended, the

NTSB said. The agency said the helicopter suddenly separated

into three major sections: the fuselage including the engine,

the main rotor system, and the tail boom.



Debris was recovered from several places in the river and

from a rooftop near the Hoboken, New Jersey, transit building,

the NTSB said.



The helicopter airframe had accrued 12,975 total hours

of operation, and the engine had accrued a total of 23,305 hours

of operation, the NTSB said. The helicopter's most recent

inspection was conducted in late February and it had operated

about 50 hours since then, the NTSB added.



A family from Spain was among those killed in the crash.



The airspace around Manhattan is crowded with

helicopters offering tourists a bird's-eye view of the sights,

with at least two dozen operators listed on tour website Viator.



In 2018, five passengers aboard a helicopter died in New

York when the aircraft crashed into the East River, while the

pilot survived. The helicopter was on a charter flight that

featured an open door to allow passengers to take photographs of

the skyline.