‘Everything is on the table’ as NTSB investigates deadly Hudson River tour helicopter crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), during a quality league Friday astatine Jersey City Hall, said "everything is connected the table" and it was not "rul[ing] thing out" successful its probe into the fatal clang of a circuit chopper successful the Hudson River Thursday. The NTSB volition look into witnesser reports of a ample flock of birds successful the country earlier the crash.

The Bell 206 helicopter, flying for the circuit institution New York Helicopters, went down successful the Hudson River adjacent the Jersey City, New Jersey, coastline astatine astir 3:17 p.m. Thursday, according to New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch. 

New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and NYPD divers entered the h2o wrong minutes, pulling the aviator and members of a household visiting from Spain, including Siemens enforcement Agustin Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal; and their 3 young children, from the water. All six aboard were pronounced dead.

Escobar was successful the state connected a concern trip, and his household flew retired to widen the abrogation successful solemnisation of Montal's 40th birthday, according to a connection from Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. The children were each nether 11 years old.

A record photograph of the victims of a chopper clang successful New York City Thursday, April 10, 2025. The household of 5 killed successful the calamity included Siemens enforcement Agustin Escobar; woman Mercè Camprubí Montal, a planetary manager astatine an vigor exertion company; and 3 children. The aviator was besides killed. (New York Helicopter Tours, LLC)

6 DEAD, INCLUDING 3 CHILDREN, AFTER HELICOPTER PLUMMETS IN HUDSON RIVER

Though the pilot's individuality has not yet been released by officials, NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said during the quality league that the bureau has the pilot's logbooks and confirmed helium held a commercialized aviator certificate with rotorcraft and instrumentality ratings.

"The aviator reported 450 hours of full formation acquisition connected his astir caller medical, which was issued connected Sept. 20, 2024," Homendy said. "As of March 29, 2025, the aviator had accumulated astir 788 hours of full formation time."

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy provides an update Friday connected the fatal chopper clang connected the Hudson River, Thursday, betwixt Jersey City, N.J., and Manhattan, N.Y. (Fox News / Pool)

The NTSB is inactive calculating the pilot's formation clip successful the Bell chopper due to the fact that the aviator antecedently flew a Robinson 44, according to Homendy.

NYPD divers are inactive searching for pieces of the aircraft, including the main rotor, process rotor, main transmission, extortion operation and process structure.

However, Homendy said witnesser reports person already aided investigators successful the agency's preliminary investigation.

This representation shows the approximate determination wherever a chopper crashed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon. All six radical connected committee the chopper were killed successful the tragedy. (Fox News)

PILOT IN HUDSON RIVER HELICOPTER CRASH CALLED ABOUT NEEDING FUEL BEFORE FATAL ACCIDENT, CEO SAYS

Homendy noted the NTSB was "aware of reports" of a "large flock of birds" successful the country soon earlier the crash. 

"We discussed it this morning," she said. "It's thing we volition beryllium looking into."

The household pictured connected committee the chopper earlier it crashed into the Hudson River successful New York City Thursday.  (New York Helicopter Tours, LLC)

The NTSB is asking the nationalist to taxable photos, videos and grounds "if thing struck [them] arsenic different" oregon gave them "pause."

As acold arsenic a timeline goes, the NTSB said it is inactive ironing retired the details of what could person gone wrong.

The FAA confirmed the chopper took disconnected from the downtown Manhattan heliport astatine 2:59 p.m. and flew southbound earlier flying northbound on the Manhattan shoreline.

A crane vas lifts the wreckage of a chopper that crashed into the Hudson River Thursday, successful Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

At 3:08 p.m., the chopper reached the George Washington Bridge and past turned again to alert southbound on the New Jersey shoreline, according to the FAA.

Shortly after, the aviator mislaid power of the craft and deed the h2o conscionable a fewer feet disconnected the enactment adjacent Hoboken. 

A representation illustrating the way of an ill-fated chopper carrying 5 tourists and a aviator who were each killed erstwhile the chopper crashed into the Hudson River Thursday. (Fox News)

New York Helicopter Tour CEO Michael Roth, whose institution operated the helicopter, told The Telegraph the aviator radioed astir needing substance but ne'er arrived.

It is unclear erstwhile the telephone went retired astir the fuel.

Police and firefighters enactment astatine the tract wherever a chopper crashed into the Hudson River adjacent Lower Manhattan Thursday. All six passengers were killed successful the crash, NYC Mayor Eric Adams said. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said successful a connection Thursday the circuit chopper was successful the peculiar formation rules country established successful New York, which means nary aerial postulation power services were being provided erstwhile the chopper crashed.

However, Duffy confirmed "several minutes anterior to entering the peculiar formation rules area, aerial postulation power from LaGuardia Airport was providing support," according to the statement.

When asked astir the information of aerial tours, Homendy said the NTSB issued "an full study connected Part 91 operations with respect to gross passengers." 

A timeline showing the events of an ill-fated chopper carrying 5 tourists and a aviator who were each killed erstwhile the chopper crashed into the Hudson River Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Fox News)

"We judge successful 1 level of information strongly, and that whitethorn not look similar regularisation for a large commercialized airline, but we bash judge that they should beryllium regulated," she said. "We person issued recommendations successful the past connected crash-resistant recorders. We've issued galore regular recommendations connected information absorption systems, connected peculiar regulations for Part 91."

The question was asked aft Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and a fig of different officials expressed interest astir circuit helicopters.

"Staten Island residents stay profoundly acrophobic astir the predominant low-flying circuit helicopters whose formation paths proceed to often walk implicit their neighborhoods astatine each hours of the day," Malliotakis wrote successful a statement. "To forestall different tragedy, these tourer chopper flights implicit NYC indispensable beryllium much heavy regulated and restricted, if not travel to an extremity entirely."

One of the young victims of the chopper clang successful New York City Thursday, April 10, 2025. (New York Helicopter Tours, LLC)

Homendy added it is "too early" to speculate astir what the NTSB volition urge arsenic a effect of the probe but noted "this is simply a interest that we've raised for a fig of years."

"Certainly, we raised this aft the FlyNYON clang successful a circumstantial report. … It was precise broad astir our recommendations, specifically astir aerial circuit operators," she said.

PILOTS WARNED OF SAFETY CONCERNS BEFORE HELICOPTER CRASHED IN NYC'S EAST RIVER AND KILLED 5, REPORT SAYS

On March 11, 2018, a chopper operated by a antithetic New York helicopter-sightseeing company, FlyNYON, crashed into the East River, sidesplitting each 5 passengers onboard.

Passengers were allegedly "unable to escaped themselves from the harnesses they were wearing," resulting successful a suit colony of $90 million, Fox News antecedently reported.

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Richard Vance, the pilot, was utilizing a modular spot loop and was the lone survivor.

The FAA and NTSB volition proceed to analyse the Hudson River chopper crash.

Mayor Fulop confirmed successful an X station a brother-in-law of the household that died successful the wreck was flying into the state Friday morning.

"We are moving with [the aesculapian examiner] to expedite [the] merchandise of the household to alert backmost to Spain," Fulop wrote successful the post.

Fox News Digital's Julia Bonavita and The Associated Press contributed to this report.