Kreindler Monitoring Fatal Hudson River New York Helicopter Tour Crash in New York City
April 10, 2025
What Happened
Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter. Photo by Mackenzie Logie
On Thursday, April 10, 2025, at approximately 3:17 P.M., a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter broke apart in midair before crashing into the Hudson River near the Holland Tunnel in New York City. All six people, including the pilot, two adults, and three children who were aboard the aircraft died as a result of the crash. Reportedly, the family of passengers involved in this tragedy had just arrived in New York from Barcelona, Spain earlier in the day.
The helicopter (registry number N216MH) is registered to Meridian Helicopters LLC in Broussard, Louisiana. The rotorcraft helicopter was manufactured in 2004 by Bell Helicopter Textron Canada and equipped with a Rolls-Royce M250 turbo-shaft engine.
The tour helicopter was operated by New York Helicopter Tours LLC and took off from Lower Manhattan (Downtown Manhattan Heliport - JRB), flew up the Manhattan side of the Hudson River, flew near the Statue of Liberty, circled around, and was coming back on the New Jersey side of the Hudson before coming down near the Jersey City side of the Holland Tunnel.
In the Media
Video of the crash suggests a catastrophic mechanical failure that left the pilot with no chance to save the helicopter.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be conducting the investigation assisted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Jersey City Police, New Jersey Transit, Jersey City Fire Department, FDNY, NYPD and Port Authority were all involved in the rescue efforts.
The investigation will be looking closely at the mechanical history of the Bell 206 aircraft, the weather conditions, the pilot and the helicopter tour company history, any black box data including any available radar and flight path data, as well as witness videos and eyewitness accounts.
Hudson River Corridor & Heliport
The crash occurred in the Hudson River VFR corridor, a small slice of airspace above the Hudson River in New York City where flight is permitted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) below 1,100 feet. Under current rules, pilots may enter this area without any clearance from air traffic control and are expected to self-announce their entry into the corridor and to report checkpoints along the river on a designated radio frequency. The corridor can become very crowded.
The safety of the VFR airspace around New York has been a concern for a number of years. It received a lot of attention after the 2006 crash of Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle’s airplane into a Manhattan apartment building. At that time, the Kreindler law firm and others, including NY Senator Charles Schumer, called for new rules to be implemented to ensure the safety and security of the New York City area.
Kreindler Experience with Mid-Air and Helicopter Tour Crashes
Kreindler partners have handled multiple wrongful death cases involving helicopters, including sightseeing tours and mid-air crashes over New York area waterways.
Related Kreindler New York helicopter cases include:
The General Aviation Revitalization Actof 1994 (GARA) is a tort reform measure that imposes an 18-year statute of repose for general aviation aircraft. The statute does not bar actions in which the defendant knowingly misrepresents or conceals required information that is material and relevant and causally related to the harm plaintiffs suffered. It also does not apply to new components or instructions promulgated after the original manufacture within the 18-year period. Plaintiffs have succeeded in establishing exceptions to GARA. Read Partner Justin Green’s article on GARA to learn more.
About Kreindler
Kreindler & Kreindler LLP was recently named 2024 Transportation Law Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal. Our firm is widely recognized is the world’s preeminent aviation accident law firm. Our airplane and helicopter accident attorneys have been appointed leading counsel in nearly every major commercial aviation disaster case in the U.S. and abroad. The firm’s aviation practice is led by attorneys who are also commercial-rated, veteran military pilots. Kreindler’s aviation accident attorneys have achieved an unmatched record of success representing people globally who have been injured or lost family members in international and domestic aviation disasters. Kreindler has offices in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
Endnotes
Photo of Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter by Mackenzie Logie, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Video of the crash suggests a catastrophic mechanical failure that left the pilot with no chance to save the helicopter.
