Witnesses heard loud ‘bangs’ before NYC tour helicopter split in three: NTSB

Several witnesses heard loud “bangs” before a New York City tour helicopter “suddenly separated into three major sections” and crashed into the Hudson River, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report.  

The report published on May 7, 2025, laid out NTSB investigators’ early findings into what caused a Bell 206 L-4 helicopter, operated by New York Helicopters, to crash and resulted in the deaths of five passengers and the pilot.  

The six-page report said that before the crash on April 10, 2025, the accident aircraft headed south along the New Jersey side of the river. 

“As the helicopter approached the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers near Jersey City, New Jersey, it was at a geometric altitude between 625 and 650 ft. The helicopter’s altitude increased to 675 ft msl before it entered a rapid descent,” investigators wrote in their report. 

New photos published by the NTSB show the helicopter split into three sections: fuselage (including the engine), main rotor system (including both main rotor blades, transmission and roof-beam structure), and the tail boom (including the tail rotor). 

NTSBAs previously reported the helicopter was not equipped with any video or data recording devices, however new evidence came to light during the investigation that the pilot was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which had video and audio recording capability. 

Despite the best efforts of specialist search teams, unfortunately these glasses were not recovered.  

The pilot and the aircraft 

As of March 29, 2025, the pilot, a former US Navy Seal, had logged 790.2 total hours of flight experience, of which, 48.6 hours were in the same make and model as the accident helicopter. 

The Bell 206 L-4 helicopter, registered N216MH, was built in 2004 and was last inspected on February 27, 2025, and had been operated for around 50 hours since the maintenance check. 

“At that time, the helicopter airframe accrued 12,975 total hours of operation, and the engine had accrued a total of 23,305 hours of operation,” the NTSB said.  

The passenger victims were previously identified as Siemens Executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three children, while the pilot was named Justin Green. 

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