New York Helicopter has been for years one of the key players in NYC’s aerial tourism scene. Yet it has had a winding history rife with fiscal woes and dreadful safety crashes. Founded in the 1990s, the company has provided tourists with breathtaking views of iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and the Manhattan skyline. Just last week, an unfortunate helicopter crash killed all six people on board. This incident has brought to the forefront a number of issues related to the organization’s operations and safety record.
Going back decades now, New York Helicopter has seemingly flown high under the radar. Among them are New York Helicopter Charter Inc. and New York Helicopter Tours LLC. Yet, the company now shamelessly touts itself as having an “industry-leading safety record.” This assertion has been challenged and put to the test over and over again throughout its storied history. In 2013, a helicopter owned and operated by the company crashed after a midair power transmission failure. The pilot performed a controlled ditching on pontoons in the calm waters of the Hudson River. This incident was eventually blamed on an “improper maintenance decision” related to an oil pressure problem.
Just in 2018, one helicopter lost control when it was hovering low and close to a helipad. Fortunately, with a crash landing no one was hurt but it still made quite a splash. These precarious near misses have pointed to the company’s patterns of unsafe maintenance and overall lack of safety protocol.
By 2019, New York Helicopter was in deep financial distress. They only had $6 million in assets but were carrying $1.6 million in liabilities. The company was burdened with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debts from landing fees and maintenance bills. To keep its operations afloat, New York Helicopter had to make a hard choice. Today, they’ve cut their staff down from a high of 30 employees to only 13.
The firm was also dealing with persistent lawsuits over claimed unpaid bills, which added to its challenges in getting back on track. In 2018, the extraordinary members of New York Helicopter went on offense by suing a predatory cash-advance lender. They described the loan as “unconscionable.”
Even with these challenges, New York Helicopter’s emphasis on safety was documented as a core value of its culture and operations. “The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations,” the company stated in its communications.
The crash from this past Thursday marks a tragic, calamitous blow to New York Helicopter and its credibility. In a recent statement Mayor Eric Adams reiterated that air travel is especially important to the city. He highlighted its essential function as the foundation of New York’s eighth transportation mode. “Air travel is vital to this city,” he said, lamenting what these attacks could mean for people who live in or visit this city.
