2025 Hudson River helicopter crash
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 N216MH, the brave little whirlybird before discovering gravity is undefeated | |
| Catastrophic Oopsie | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 10, 2025 |
| Summary | In-flight breakup caused by gremlins, seagull mafia, or the pilot pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete midair [citation desperately needed] |
| Site | Somewhere near Jersey City, New Jersey, which is basically "New York Lite" |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Bell 206L-4 "Spinny Thing" |
| Aircraft name | Not "Lucky" |
| Operator | New York Helicopter (now available for weddings, birthdays, and lawsuits) |
| IATA flight No. | NY39 |
| ICAO flight No. | NYH39 |
| Call sign | "New York 39" (briefly) |
| Registration | N216MH (N for Nope) |
| Flight origin | Downtown Manhattan Heliport, New York City, U.S. |
| Destination | Technically same as origin, but fate had other plans |
| Occupants | 6 very unlucky people |
| Passengers | 5 tourists who signed up for the "Slightly Too Thrilling Tour" |
| Crew | 1 pilot with questionable luck |
| Fatalities | 6 [citation needed but probably true] |
| Injuries | Emotional trauma for seagulls nearby |
| Survivors | 0 (spoiler: the river won) |
On April 10, 2025, a Bell 206 "LongRanger IV" bravely attempted to defy both physics and probability by disassembling itself midair over the Hudson River, near Jersey City, New Jersey (the place New York tries to pretend doesn’t exist). All six souls aboard were sent directly to the Great Frequent Flyer Lounge in the sky. [citation needed]
Background[edit | edit source]
The Chariot of Chaos[edit | edit source]
The helicopter, built in 2004, was leased from a Louisiana-based firm that apparently thought "maintenance" was just a suggestion. According to the sacred scrolls of the FAA, its airworthiness certificate was valid until 2029, which turned out to be wildly optimistic. [citation needed]
Victims of Bad Luck[edit | edit source]
On board: a Siemens exec, his equally executive spouse, their three small humans, and a Navy vet pilot who probably didn’t sign up for this. The family came all the way from Barcelona to see the Statue of Liberty the fun way (spoiler: too fun). [citation needed]
Weather, aka Plot Device[edit | edit source]
Wind: breezy, with occasional gusts powerful enough to knock hats off tourists. Visibility: decent, but apparently not enough to spot "incoming rotor blade separation". Light rain in the afternoon, because nature loves dramatic timing. [citation needed]
The Operator, a.k.a. "Oops Inc."[edit | edit source]
New York Helicopter, founded in the 1990s by Michael Roth, had previously survived bankruptcy, lawsuits, and two other crashes, so really this was just the hat trick. In recent months, they were sued for $1.4 million, $83,000, and the souls of two interns. [citation needed]
The Great Unplanned Descent[edit | edit source]
At approximately 3:17 p.m., after a routine tour around Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, the pilot reportedly radioed, "need fuel" (translation: "brace yourselves"). Moments later, the helicopter performed the rare and majestic "in-flight breakup" maneuver, dropping rotor bits in five feet of water and fuselage in 75 feet. The water temperature was a refreshing 50 °F (10 °C)—perfect for hypothermic regret. [citation needed]
Investigation by the People With Clipboards[edit | edit source]
The NTSB, FAA, Bell Textron, and Rolls-Royce all showed up, looked very serious, and took the broken bits back to their lair in Washington. Sadly, no flight recorders, no cameras, and no TikTok live streams were found, meaning everyone just had to guess what went wrong. [citation needed]
Aftermath: Bureaucracy Strikes Back[edit | edit source]
Drone pilots were told to buzz off. The company’s ops director agreed to stop flying; the CEO then fired him for agreeing too quickly. The FAA responded by suspending the company faster than you can say "lawyer up." Chuck Schumer made stern faces at cameras. [citation needed]
Reactions[edit | edit source]
Domestic: Land of Statements[edit | edit source]
President Donald Trump posted thoughts and prayers on Truth Social, blaming "windmills" somehow. NYC mayor Eric Adams was "deeply saddened," while company owner Roth said, "Oops." [citation needed]
International: Iberian Sighs[edit | edit source]
Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez called it "an unimaginable tragedy" and briefly considered sending a churro-based peace offering to Manhattan. [citation needed]