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 NTSB has released its preliminary report on the April in-flight breakup and crash of a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River, resulting in six fatalities.
Witnesses reported hearing "bangs" before the helicopter's tail boom and main rotor system visibly separated from the fuselage.
Investigators are analyzing surveillance video and ADS-B data, as the aircraft lacked a black box and the pilot's potential recording glasses were not recovered.
The accident occurred on the pilot's eighth tour flight of the day, with the Bell 206L-4 helicopter having been recently inspected and having accrued substantial flight hours.

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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.