The New York City sightseeing helicopter company has decided to shut down its operations with immediate effect, just three days after one of their helicopters was involved in the fatal Hudson River crash that killed six people, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Sunday night.
This came after one of the helicopters operated New York Helicopter Tours crashed into the icy waters near Manhattan on Thursday that killed the Spanish division’s CEO of Siemens, Agustin Escobar, his wife, their three young children, and the pilot, who was a Navy veteran. Escobar was visiting New York City with his family to celebrate the birthday of his wife and one of their daughters.
End of Business
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“New York Helicopter Tours — the company involved in the deadly crash on the Hudson earlier this week — is shutting down their operations immediately,” the FAA tweeted on Sunday.
“We will continue to support NTSB’s investigation. Additionally, the FAA will be launching an immediate review of the tour operator’s license and safety record.”
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The FAA did not immediately clarify if the operations have been shut down permanently and or if it will resume after the investigations are over. When contacted by the New York Post, Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter Tours, said that his company was stopping its operations after being directed by the federal agency.
“It wasn’t my choice, the FAA did that,” he told The New York Post.
When Roth was asked if there is a chance of his company resuming operations, he said he had no clue. “Maybe, I’m not sure.” Just a day back, a company spokesperson said that the business was “suspended until further notice.”
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New York Helicopter Tours said in a statement on its website that the company was “fully cooperating” with federal authorities investigating the crash.
“New York Helicopter Tours is profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and loss of life that occurred on April 10, 2025, involving one of our helicopters in the Hudson River. At New York Helicopter Tours, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations,” the company said.
“Our immediate focus is supporting the families and their loved ones affected by this tragedy, as well as fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigations.”
Tarnishing the Image of NYC
The ill-fated helicopter had just started its eighth flight of the day when it suffered a mechanical issue and broke mid-air and crashed into the Hudson River, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Saturday. The NTS also said that the helicopter did not have a flight recorder and inspected for the last time on March 1.
The victims of the tragic crash included Escobar, his wife Merce Montal, and their three children—Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4, —all of whom were killed immediately in the accident.
“I want to say they left together, they left without suffering, and they left with a smile on their faces, and that is important to us,” Montal’s brother, Joan Camprubí Montal, said Saturday.
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The doomed helicopter’s pilot, who was also killed in the crash, was identified as 36-year-old Sean Johnson, a Navy SEAL, who had recently moved to New York City to expand his career in the aviation industry.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) cheered the FAA’s decision after requesting the agency to immediately suspend the company’s operations on Sunday.
“It is good news that the FAA heeded the call and shut down New York Helicopter’s flights because they were a danger to the public,” Schumer said.
