Helicopter Company Involved In Deadly NY Crash Forced To End Tours After Firing Employee Who Grounded Flights Voluntarily

A sightseeing helicopter broke up in mid-air and plummeted into the Hudson River last week, killing the pilot and the family of five onboard. The Federal Aviation Administration shut down New York Helicopter, the company involved in the crash, on Monday after a surreal series of events that began with the company’s director of operations agreeing to halt flights until the end of the investigation and his alleged immediate retaliatory firing. 

Considering the crash’s nature, it made sense that the FAA would request that New York Helicopter stop flying. There wasn’t any conclusive evidence to prove that whatever caused the crash couldn’t happen to another of the company’s helicopters. The National Transportation Safety Board recovered the main rotor, the tail rotor and the roof beam and relocated the components for examination. The crucial details will eventually come to light.

Jason Costello, New York Helicopter’s director of operations, agreed to halt flights on Sunday. However, CEO Michael Roth allegedly took immediate action to keep his helicopters flying, according to CNN. Roth fired Costello and then sent an email to the FAA stating that the director didn’t have the authority to stop flights because “he was no longer an employee.”

While Roth allegedly fought to keep his company flying, Senator Chuck Schumer urge the FAA to strip the operator of its air carrier certificate. Citing Costello’s firing, the agency obliged. During a press conference, the Senate Minority Leader claimed it wasn’t just a problem with New York Helicopter but a systemic issue with all of the city’s operators. According to the Guardian, Schumer said:

“There is one thing for sure about New York City’s helicopter tour companies: they have a deadly track record. Eleven people killed in the last few years, and it is usually the companies, not the pilots, that are openly manipulating FAA rules, cutting corners and could well be putting profits over people.”

The crash investigation will have a few notable obstacles ahead, including that the helicopter involved wasn’t fitted with a flight data recorder. An earlier helicopter crash this year will likely have a much faster investigation. An unsecured penguin inside the cabin of a Robinson R44 fell into the pilot’s controls. The pilots lost control at an altitude just under 50 feet and crashed the chopper. Thankfully, the penguin and everyone else onboard were fine.