The New York City tour helicopter, which was pushed into the Hudson River on Thursday and killed six people, was once used in a now-cold promotional video suspected of being a suspected safety record of a tourism company that had stalled operations indefinitely.
A representative of Helicopters in New York said the company “is not operating until further notice.” A few days after a family of five and a pilot from Spain were killed in a horrifying crash.
In a statement posted to the site, the company said it was “deeply saddened by the tragic accident and the loss of life that occurred on April 10, 2025, involving one of the helicopters on the Hudson River.”
The statement argued that “the safety and happiness of our passengers and crews have always been the cornerstone of our business,” and that the company “is supporting families and their loved ones affected by this tragedy and fully collaborating with the investigation of the FAA and NTSB.”
Videos of the Doomed Bell 206L helicopter are available on the company's website in a section called “Why Choose Us.” YouTube.
In the soundless video, a man is seen checking a copter before a planned takeoff.
“We have an industry-leading safety record,” the website says with the clip.
The unlucky helicopter took off from downtown Skyport, Manhattan at 1:50pm on Thursday, with Siemens executive wife, wife Mersin Kampulbi Montal and three young children – Augustine, 10, Mercedes, 8, Victor, 4 – Abode.
Stay up to date with the Hudson River helicopter crash:
The welcomed family from Barcelona, Spain, was recently flew by Navy veteran Sean Johnson (36), who moved to the Big Apple for his still Young's aviation career.
Chopper crashed near the coastline of Jersey City, New Jersey. This is the moment when the main rotor and tail rotor are separated from the aircraft body.
The exact cause of the crash has not yet been determined and could take weeks, officials said.
Safety video shows the black and white copter's main rotor blade tied to the dolly. The man in the video unlocks the rope from Dolly, walks around the aircraft, and pulls the main rotor through the rope.
The man has also been filmed climbing up to the side of the chopper, inspecting the engine and drive shafts, and checking more aircraft tools before diving into the cockpit.
The Bell 206L was manufactured in 2004 and had already recorded a 12,728 hour flight time that was forced to be repaired in September due to mechanical issues in the transmission assembly.
In April 2023, the FAA issued two Safety Aes for all Bell 206L model helicopters.
