Helicopter who fell in New York: the transa tail, the blades that come off and the fall, what happened
The Bell 206 fell sixteen minutes after taking off by Manhattan. On board there were the pilot and a Spanish family of five. The hypothesis of the mechanical failure or an excessive maneuver. What do we know
The sudden loss of control, the tail that detaches itself, the rotor who – released from the fuselage – continues to fly for a few seconds, risking at the slightest blow of wind to fall on the mainland where several people are walking. Everything happens in five seconds and for the six people On board the helicopter above the Hudson River – The pilot and a family of Spanish tourists – There is no escape. Six victims who are added to the other 32 which since 1977 have lost their lives by helicopter in New York.
The two privileged hypotheses
The dynamics and causes are the subject of investigation by the ERSB experts, the US investigative body. According to the professionals consulted by the Courier The availability of several videos – shot both by citizens and by the surveillance cameras of buildings – should make work easier. The two main slopes, at the moment, focus on the mechanical failure or on a maneuver deemed excessive of the pilot.
The tour
What do we know so far? The helicopter, a Bell 206 – among the best -selling specimens – took off at 2.59 pm local time (20.59 in Italy) by the heliport of Downtown Manhattan. On board there are the pilot and five tourists: Agustín Escobar, manager of Siemens, his wife and three children. According to the information collected, the family of tourists had chosen the « Grand Helicopter Tour » option, lasting 20-25 minutes for a total cost of 1,770 dollars, 1,560 euros at today’s gearbox.
The sequence of events
After a tour near the statue of freedom, the helicopter flies north to the « George Washington » bridge. Then he turns south, alongside the coast of the State of New Jersey which usually allows you to take breathtaking photos of the expanse of skyscrapers of the southern part of Manhattan. It is at this point – and in non -prohibitive weather conditions – that the sequence of events begins that leads to the tragedy of the vehicle operated by the private company « New York Helicopter ».
The role of the rotor
What may have happened? « It is too early to draw conclusions, » says Jim Braachle by e-mail, expert with a past in the Air Force and lawyer at the Motley Rice Studio who in the past has represented the families of Italian tourists killed during a helicopter tour above the Hudson River. « From the images it seems that the main rotor has hit the helicopter fuselage, trancling the tail and generating an irreversible event. »
The « barrels »
The eyewitnesses told the local TVs that they had heard at 15.15 (9.15 pm in Italy) repeated « strong sounds », similar to barrels, which led them to look upwards. According to a preliminary evaluation of the experts, those sounds may have been caused by the blades that repeatedly hit the tail, also causing their detachment. A couple of seconds later it’s up to the rotor – the element made up of plus blades – detach yourself from the fuselage.
The previous ones
The tail, the rotor and the fuselage fall into the river at different times. This is the third fatal accident for the New York helicopter tours in the last twenty years. In 2009, a helicopter with Italian tourists collided with a private jet above the Hudson River (9 dead). In 2018, a tourist helicopter with open doors crashed into the East River, killing five passengers. Only the pilot managed to save himself.
The characteristics
« We must always remember that the operations with helicopters are different and have a complexity and variability in the type », comments on the phone with the Courier Luca Valeriani, president of the National Flight Security Agency (ANSV). « Exposure to risk is also significant because it flies at low altitude and in a context that can also change suddenly ».
Helicopter tourism
Every year about 30 thousand visitors start from pier 6 where the Elporto is located in Manhattan to see the wonders of the Big Apple from above. The structure is also used by commuters and billionaires to move faster in the city. According to some estimates, the annual economic impact of this type of tourist activity is around 50 million dollars.
