Viewing the Manhattan skyline from any vantage point is impressive, but when seen from aloft the Big Apple skyline becomes a breathtaking experience. In March 2018, a New York tour operator launched an Airbus AS350 helicopter with a pilot and five passengers for what was expected to be a 30-minute dusk flight near the East River. The spectacular element of the flight—in addition to flying at 500 feet—was that most of the helicopter’s doors were removed, allowing passengers to extend their feet outside the machine. Riders were kept in their seats by a special restraining system that needed to be cut off during an emergency. The preflight briefing included instructions from the pilot on how to locate and use the cutting tool for the harnesses if it were needed.
NTSB Says Enough to Helicopter Flights With Open Doors
Key Takeaways:
- A 2018 doors-off helicopter crash in NYC, caused by a passenger restraint tangling in the engine's fuel shutoff valve, led to the drowning deaths of five passengers unable to escape their supplemental harnesses.
- The NTSB found that the tour operator exploited an "aerial photography" regulatory loophole, allowing them to bypass stricter safety regulations and oversight for commercial air tours.
- Investigation revealed deficient safety management by the tour companies, who failed to address foreseeable risks like passengers moving near vital controls and the difficulty of escaping the custom-made, non-manufacturer installed restraints.
- The NTSB strongly urged the FAA to close the regulatory loophole, prohibit supplemental restraints that hinder emergency escape, and establish a single set of national safety standards for all air tour operations.
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