Families sue after tour crash

Relatives of five members of a Spanish family killed in last year’s Hudson River helicopter crash have sued the tour operator, its chief executive and a related company in New York state court. (prnewswire.com) The lawsuit, announced April 22, names New York Helicopter Charter Inc., New York Helicopter Tours LLC and owner and chief executive Michael Roth, and seeks compensatory and punitive damages for negligence and wrongful death. Lawyers at Gersowitz Libo & Korek and Kreindler & Kreindler said the estates were filed on behalf of Agustín Escobar, Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three children. (prnewswire.com) The crash happened at about 3:15 p.m. on April 10, 2025, when a Bell 206L-4 helicopter, registration N216MH, rapidly descended into the Hudson River near Jersey City, New Jersey. All six people aboard died, including pilot Sean Johnson. (ntsb.gov) (cbsnews.com) Federal investigators said in a preliminary report that the flight was a Part 91 air tour, a category with lighter federal operating rules than airline-style passenger service. The National Transportation Safety Board said the helicopter broke up in flight, and recovery crews pulled key components including the main rotor system and tail rotor system from the river. (ntsb.gov) (aerotime.aero) The case shifts the aftermath from accident investigation to civil liability nearly a year after the crash. It also lands as families and New York lawmakers press Congress and federal regulators to tighten oversight of sightseeing helicopters that carry paying passengers under those Part 91 rules. (nytimes.com) (cbsnews.com) The Federal Aviation Administration grounded New York Helicopter Charter on April 14, 2025, and opened a comprehensive review of the company’s operations. The agency said it took that step in part because the company’s director of operations was fired after he voluntarily shut down flights during the investigation. (faa.gov) That grounding order gave families and critics a concrete record to point to as they argued the crash was not an isolated failure. Gothamist reported this week that the new complaint accuses the operator of putting profit over safety and failing to maintain the aircraft properly, while the company did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment. (gothamist.com) The wider helicopter-safety debate has also picked up around collision-avoidance technology. After the January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport involving American Airlines Flight 5342, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said a low-cost ADS-B In display could have given pilots more warning, and the board renewed calls for broader use of the system. (ntsb.gov) (abcnews.go.com) (simpleflying.com) That technology issue is separate from what caused the Hudson River breakup, which investigators have not yet concluded. For the Escobar Camprubí family, the immediate next step is simpler: a judge, not just federal investigators, will now weigh what the operator knew, what it did and what it should have prevented. (ntsb.gov) (prnewswire.com)