The Hudson River saw another tragic helicopter crash on Thursday. This time, a tourist chopper went down, taking the lives of a pilot and a Spanish family of five. This incident was not a surprise to those who have been advocating for stricter regulations on helicopter tourism in New York City.  The chopper that crashed was already 21 years old. This is not unusual. Many helicopters flying over the city are even older.  This is a problem, especially when you consider that yellow cabs in New York have to be replaced every five to eight years.  There is no age limit for helicopters, which is a big issue.  This crash was predictable and could have been avoided.  If a rollercoaster had a similar death toll, it would be shut down immediately. Yet, these sky tours continue, with a crash happening every couple of years.  It is time to question why this is acceptable.

    The cause of the crash is still under investigation.  Witnesses reported seeing the helicopter break apart in midair before it plunged into the river.  This is not the first time something like this has happened.  Since 1977, at least 38 people have died in helicopter accidents in New York City.  In 2009, a collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson killed nine people.  In 2018, five people died when a charter helicopter offering "open door" flights crashed into the East River.  These incidents are not isolated events.  There have been many other non-fatal incidents involving helicopters in and around New York City in recent years.  It is clear that something needs to be done.

    The group Stop the Chop has been campaigning for an end to helicopter sightseeing trips over New York City and the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area.  They want to see the closure of the region's three heliports to non-essential traffic.  The group has documented a succession of incidents involving helicopters in and around New York City.  They believe it is time for city officials to end tourism flights from the downtown Manhattan heliport and two other public-use helipads on the island of Manhattan.  The facilities generate a combined 2. 7 million dollars annually for New York in lease payments from companies that operate more than 42, 000 sightseeing trips annually.  This is a significant amount of money, but is it worth the risk to public safety?

    The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, was asked about sightseeing flights on Friday.  He acknowledged that after any crash, there is often a call to ban helicopters or tourism attractions in the city.  However, he pointed out that New York City attracts 65 million tourists each year.  These tourists want to see the city from the sky.  He emphasized the importance of proper maintenance and safety for any airport or air device.  This is what the investigation will determine.  But is this enough?  Should we be relying on investigations after the fact, or should we be taking proactive measures to prevent these crashes from happening in the first place?

    It is time to ask some tough questions.  Why are we allowing these old helicopters to fly?  Why are we accepting the risk to public safety?  And why are we not doing more to prevent these crashes from happening?  The answers to these questions may not be easy, but they are necessary if we want to ensure the safety of everyone in New York City.

New York's Helicopter Dangers: Why Are We Still Flying These Old Birds?

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