2019 new york city helicopter crash
On January 15, 2019, a helicopter crashed into the East River in New York City, killing five people and injuring three others. The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76B, was operated by Liberty Helicopters and was on a sightseeing tour over the city.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the crash and determined that the probable cause was the pilot's failure to properly configure the helicopter's automatic safety features, which led to a loss of lift and a subsequent crash.
The pilot, Richard Alles, was an experienced helicopter pilot with over 8,000 hours of flight time. However, he had not flown the S-76B model helicopter before and was not familiar with its specific systems and features.
The NTSB investigation found that Alles had failed to properly engage the helicopter's automatic safety features, including the collective pitch governor, which is designed to prevent the helicopter from descending too quickly. Instead, Alles had manually adjusted the collective pitch control, which caused the helicopter to lose lift and crash into the East River.
The crash was captured on video by a bystander, and it showed the helicopter descending rapidly and then crashing into the water. The impact was severe, and the helicopter broke apart, causing the five people on board to be thrown from the wreckage.
The three survivors were rescued from the water by nearby boats and were taken to a hospital for treatment. The five people who died in the crash were identified as:
- Trevor Cadigan, 26, a marketing executive from Dallas, Texas
- Daniel Thompson, 34, a businessman from New York City
- Travis Andrews, 29, a journalist from Atlanta, Georgia
- Audrey Mansmann, 29, a marketing executive from New York City
- Carla Vallejos-Zugasti, 29, a tourist from Argentina
The crash was the deadliest helicopter accident in New York City since 1993, and it led to a renewed focus on helicopter safety and regulations in the city.