Helicopter Company Involved in Deadly NY Crash Grounded by FAA After Controversial Firing

It’s the kind of tale that brings you to a halt – a deadly helicopter crash across the Hudson River claiming six lives, a family of five on vacation from Spain, and their pilot. The general public is mourning the gruesome loss, but the world of aviation is shocked at what is tantamount to a cataclysmic leadership failure on safety.

At the center of the scandal is New York Helicopter Tours, the tour business whose plane disintegrated in flight before crashing into the Hudson last Thursday. And now, not only is the business being probed by federal authorities but it’s also been grounded for good all because of a suspicious firing that happened just days after the crash.

Let’s take a step back.

The Tragic Crash Over the Hudson

The wreck, which stunned residents and tourists equally, was a Bell 206 L-4 helicopter. Aboard were five Spanish tourists – a mother, father, and three little children and their pilot, 36-year-old Navy veteran Seankese Johnson. Johnson had just acquired his commercial license.

Tragically, everyone died. The helicopter was reported to have crashed in mid-air prior to the impact in the water. Naturally, at once questions were raised about the state of the helicopter, the maintenance procedures of the firm, and the New York Helicopter Tours safety culture.

A Safety Stop at Will… And Then a Discharge

After the disaster, Jason Costello, Operations Director for the airline, did what most believed was the right thing: he grounded all flights voluntarily pending an investigation. It was a step taken to ensure safety and transparency – a sign that the company took responsibility seriously.

Within 16 minutes of reporting the grounding of operations to the FAA, however, something incredible occurred.

Michael Roth, CEO of the company, wrote his own letter to the FAA – reversing the decision entirely. Not only did he refuse to ground flights, but he also dropped the bombshell: Jason Costello was fired.

Wait, what?

You heard that correctly. The man who voluntarily suspended operations for safety purposes was promptly fired — a move the FAA now believes could be retaliatory.

FAA Steps In Hard

That suspicious shooting did not go unreported. On Monday, the FAA issued an emergency directive grounding New York Helicopter Tours, pointing to the shooting as a red flag for potential safety issues. Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau took to social media, denouncing the firing and saying it raised serious questions about whether the company was truly dedicated to safety.

In fact, the FAA was so incensed it declared the company no longer has a required Director of Operations – a critical position for operating safe flight operations and the sudden firing “raises serious safety concerns.”

Effectively, without a Costello on board, the company can’t legally or safely operate. More seriously, however, it suggests a culture in which profit or reputation might take precedence over safety something to be weighed soberly in the airline business.

What Happens Next?

The FAA isn’t done yet. They’ve also opened a full-blown investigation into New York Helicopter Tours, looking into their safety procedures, regulatory compliance, and risk-assessment policies. An audit like this will look to see whether there were warning signs ignored before the crash and whether or not the company is a serial offender.

Meanwhile, the actual crash was under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). On the very day that FAA grounded the company, NTSB officials assured that two of the most vital parts of the crashed helicopter have been discovered: the main rotor system and tail rotor system.

These parts may be able to provide vital information on what precisely went wrong on the flight. Was it a mechanical malfunction? Pilot mistake? Or a design defect with the aircraft?

We shall see, but experts indicate the rotor systems will play a key role in determining the cause.

The Bigger Picture: Are Sightseeing Tours Safe?

This accident and accompanying sideshow has ignited a larger debate about the safety of helicopter tours, especially in cities like New York. Sighseeing flights are very popular among tourists, delivering photographers’ gallery-stopping photographs of cityscapes, rivers, and skyscraper-bursting landmarks. At what cost?

They have been complaining for centuries about such flights being unregulated (or unregulated), especially regarding requirements for maintenance and experience on the part of the pilots. And when it happens that a firm’s own Director of Operations is terminated for doing what is best? That hardly builds public confidence.

It’s hard not to be both mad and disillusioned. Six people dead. One family ruined for trying to have a holiday. A brilliant pilot gone too soon. And through it all, a helicopter company now under incredibly close scrutiny not just for the crash itself, but for how they’ve conducted themselves afterwards.

The FAA grounding New York Helicopter Tours is no step in procedure. It’s a strong and clear message: safety first and if you mess with that, you’re going to be paying.”

Whether the company recovers from this, or if the investigations bring to light more appalling facts, we’ll only know with the passage of time. But one thing is certain – this story is far from over.