The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report into last month’s New Jersey helicopter crash that killed six people, confirming the aircraft was not equipped with any video or data recording devices.
The lack of data could make the investigation challenging for officials, who typically rely on such information to determine what led up to a fatal crash.
According to the agency, the helicopter began to rapidly descend into the Hudson River on April 10 when its main body experienced a structural failure in the tail section, leading to loss of control.
The fuselage, containing the engine and main rotor blade assembly, fully separated from the tail boom. Then, the main motor blades with attached transmission and roof structure detached from the fuselage, causing the structure to fall apart into three major sections: the fuselage, main rotor system and tail boom.
The helicopter’s last inspection was February 27.
A Spanish family who died in the crash had rented the helicopter for a sightseeing tour of New York City. They were later identified as Agustín Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, both Siemens executives, and their children, aged four, five and 11. The pilot was identified as Seankese “Sean” Johnson, 36.
Photos taken of Johnson before the crash show he was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses that had video and audio recording capability. However, the sunglasses were not recovered from the scene.
The helicopter departed Downtown Manhattan around 2.58 p.m. then flew in a teardrop pattern south of the Statue of Liberty then proceeded north along the east side of the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan, past the George Washington Bridge, where it performed a u-turn, then headed south along the New Jersey side of the river.
As the helicopter approached the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers near Jersey City, it was observed at an altitude between 625 and 650 feet. It then ascended to 675 feet before it started a rapid descent. The data ended at 3.14 p.m. and the helicopter’s last observed altitude was 125 feet.
Nearby witnesses described hearing loud “bangs” emanating from the helicopter before it broke apart and crashed. Investigators recovered pieces of the aircraft from the river and a rooftop near the Hoboken transit building.
Johnson held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. He held a current Federal Aviation Administration first-class medical certificate and had logged 790 hours of flight experience.
He’d worked a 10 days on/10 days off schedule and the accident flight was his first day back after having 10 days off. The fatal flight was his eighth on the day of the crash.
Officials continue to examine evidence to determine what caused the tragedy. A complete report is usually completed a year after an accident.
