Thursday’s horrifying tourist helicopter crash into the Hudson River that killed six people was one of several deadly tragedies involving the aircraft in recent years. At least 32 people have died in helicopter accidents in NYC since 1977, according to The Associated Press.
In 1977, the landing gear on a Sikorsky S-61L malfunctioned as passengers waited to board from the roof of the Pan Am Building. The chopper tipped on its side, and its spinning rotor blades killed four people — including film director Michael Findlay — and injured a fifth. A broken piece of blade fell down to the streets below and killed a pedestrian and injured another.
In 2009, nine people were killed when a Eurocopter AS350 tourist helicopter with five Italian tourists on board collided with a small private plane over the Hudson River near Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken. The flight was operated by Liberty Helicopter Sightseeing Tours.
In 2018, a Liberty Helicopters flight operated for FlyNyon, also a Eurocopter AS350, went down in the East River, killing five people. Two passengers died at the scene and three others were pronounced dead at the hospital. A jury later awarded the family of the victims $116 million in a lawsuit.
In 2019, an Agusta A109E helicopter crash-landed on the roof of a 54-story building in Midtown Manhattan, killing the pilot, later identified as Tim McCormack. McCormack was the only person on board and known as a well-respected pilot. It was speculated by airport officials that he suffered a mechanical failure while in flight.