Last week, we witnessed a deadly helicopter crash over the Hudson River, the same river where Sully successfully landed his disabled jumbo jet more than 15 years ago. But this time, there was no miracle to be had. The horrific crash claimed the lives of a family of five visiting from Spain and the pilot of the chopper. I watched horrified as the helicopter essentially disintegrated in midair, the main body part in an upside-down freefall and plunging into the frigid waters, the spinning rotors following shortly thereafter.
The more I learned about the victims the more heartbreaking the story. The successful Siemens businessman and his beautiful family had just arrived in NYC earlier that day. The ride was meant to celebrate the birthdays of the wife and a young daughter. The last images were of the family displaying excited toothy smiles on board the helicopter and ready for takeoff.
The pilot was a former Navy Seal with a passion for flying and who had recently relocated to NYC just 2 weeks before the crash.
The NTSB has just launched an accident investigation, so we still don’t know the cause. But just days after the tragedy, the helicopter tour company shut down its operations. This does not bode well and sets off deafening alarms. Its too soon to know but I suspect that the investigation will reveal safety concerns with the company’s operations, perhaps a lack of adequate maintenance program, and maybe even customer complaints. Time will tell but like so many other cases, this will be another example of a tragedy that was predictable and preventable.