Dive teams are returning to the Hudson River today to try and recover the final pieces of wreckage from Thursday’s fatal helicopter crash.
Experts say one of the missing parts could be the key to figuring out why the sightseeing helicopter carrying a family of five tourists from Spain plunged into the water after taking off from New York City, killing everyone on board.
Investigation could hinge on recovery of missing helicopter parts
The investigation into the deadly helicopter crash will take time, even after the missing parts are found, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said.
Dive crews worked into the night Friday, as more wreckage was pulled from the murky water. But they’re still looking for, “The main rotor, the main transmission, the roof structure and the tail structure,” Homendy said during a press conference.
The helicopter’s main body landed in about 5-foot-deep water, but some parts may have fallen where it’s 75 feet deep and visibility is low, Homendy said.
Finding the main rotor may be the key to the investigation, according to aviation experts.
“If you picked up the rotor head, you can look at the bolts on that and you can tell if they sheared away before the aircraft hit,” Captain Joe Farrell, with Resolve Marine Group, said.
So far, there are more questions than answers after the chopper went down into the river near Jersey City, New Jersey.
“Three working theories. There was the birds discussion, there was drone discussion, and mechanical failure discussion,” Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said.
What the preliminary investigation found
Authorities said the helicopter was taking Siemens executive Agustin Escobar Canadas and his family on a tour of the New York City skyline Thursday afternoon.
A preliminary investigation said a rotor may have broken off, causing the helicopter to shake uncontrollably before it crashed in the water.
Escobar Canadas, 49, Mercè Campruví Montal, 39, Victor Escobar Campruvi, 4, Mercedes Escobar Campruvi, 9, and a still unidentified child were killed, along with the pilot, 36-year-old Sean Johnson, a U.S. Navy veteran.
“We do have the log books for the pilot. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with rotor craft and instrument ratings,” Homendy said.
The Associated Press reports 38 people have died in helicopter crashes in New York City since 1977.
“The FAA needs to really step up at this moment to provide additional oversight. There was a report from the [NTSB] that said these specific helicopters have a loophole where they don’t need to have the same type of regulation as other revenue-generated aircrafts,” New York City Councilman Christopher Marte said.
The NTSB said it will not speculate on what caused the crash.
Mark Prussin
contributed to this report.
