NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on New York Helicopter Accident

Agency is scrutinizing video from the sightseeing tour crash that killed the pilot and a family of five in April.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, May 09, 2025 at 11:41 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

National Transportation Safety Board team members survey the wreckage recovered from the Bell 206 L-4 helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on April 10 near New York City. [Credit: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on April's fatal tourist helicopter crash over the Hudson River, which killed the pilot and a family of five.
Witnesses reported hearing loud "bangs" before observing the helicopter's in-flight breakup, with its tail boom and main rotor system separating from the fuselage.
ADS-B data shows the helicopter followed a standard tour route, reaching approximately 675 feet before entering a rapid descent and losing contact.
The wreckage has been secured for further study, and the NTSB's final report, which will determine the probable cause, is expected to take at least a year.

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The National Transportation Safety Board has released the preliminary report on April’s in-flight breakup and crash of a tourist helicopter in New York.

Investigators from both the NTSB and the FAA are scrutinizing video recordings from surveillance cameras that caught the aircraft’s disintegration as it flew over the Hudson River corridor. The crash killed the pilot and a family of five.