Investigators have determined that a bird strike likely contributed to the April 10, 2025, crash of a sightseeing helicopter into the Hudson River, an incident that killed six people. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced Thursday that remains of several geese were discovered on the wreckage of the Bell 206L-4 helicopter.
Witnesses reported seeing the helicopter's tail and main rotor detach before smoke emanated from the aircraft as it fell into the water. The helicopter had departed from a downtown heliport and was in the air for less than 18 minutes before the crash occurred.
Rescue boats arrived at the scene within minutes of the impact, recovering the victims' bodies from the river. The helicopter itself was later hoisted from the water for examination by investigators.
The victims included pilot Seankese Johnson, 36, and passengers Agustin Escobar, 49; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their three children, Victor, 4; Mercedes, 8; and Agustin, 10. Escobar was a Siemens business executive from Spain.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has previously stated that helicopters are particularly susceptible to bird strikes due to their low-altitude flight paths. While uncommon, such incidents can have severe consequences.
The crash prompted New Jersey's governor to call for increased restrictions on nonessential helicopter flights over the area. Following the incident, New York Helicopter Tours ceased operations. The FAA issued an emergency order to ground all of the company's flights after it learned that the company's operations director had agreed to suspend flights during the investigation, only to be fired by the company's CEO shortly thereafter. The FAA at the time suspected the firing was retaliatory for a safety decision made by the operations director.