FAA says company whose sightseeing chopper crashed, killing 6, is ceasing operations immediately

NEW YORK — The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday that the helicopter tour company whose sightseeing chopper broke apart in flight and crashed in New York, killing the pilot and a family of five visitors from Spain, is shutting down operations immediately.

The FAA, in a statement posted on X, also said it would launch an immediate review of New York Helicopter Tours' operating license and safety record.

The move came hours after New York Sen. Chuck Schumer had called on federal authorities to revoke the operating permits of New York Helicopter Tours.

The company's sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River Thursday, killing the tourists from Spain and the pilot, a Navy SEAL veteran.

At a news conference Sunday, before the announcement by the FAA, Schumer said the company should be required to halt all flights as the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the deadly crash.

The Senate Democrat minority leader also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to ramp up safety inspections for other helicopter tour companies, accusing them of ''cutting corners and putting profits over people.''

The victims included passengers Agustin Escobar, 49, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, and their three children, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10. The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot's license in 2023.

Thursday's crash has re​​newed safety concerns about New York's sightseeing excursions, a popular tourist draw that whisks passengers high above the city, offering soaring views of the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center and other landmarks.

In the last two decades, five helicopters on commercial sightseeing flights have fallen into the Hudson and East rivers as a result of mechanical failures, pilot errors or collisions, killing 20 people.

The president of New York Helicopter Tours, Michael Roth, did not respond to phone and email inquiries. The company said in a statement published on its website that it was cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

In response to Schumer's calls for more oversight, an industry group, Eastern Region Helicopter Council, said Manhattan's sightseeing choppers "already operate under the most stringent of regulations.''

''We stand ready to work with leaders on finding ways to ensure the safety and preservation of our businesses and aviation community,'' the group said.

Two years later, in 2018, five people died when a helicopter offering ''open door'' flights crashed in the East River after a passenger's restraint tether snagged on a fuel switch, stopping the engine.