Family members of the deadly Hudson River helicopter crash and politicians in New York are calling for stricter rules as they remember the six people killed nearly a year ago.
The tragic crash happened on April 10, 2025, when a family of five from Spain was on a sightseeing tour operated by New York Helicopter Tours.
Agustín Escobar Cañadas, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children, ages 4, 8 and 10, were on the helicopter, along with pilot Sean Johnson, a U.S. Navy veteran.
Nearly a dozen members of the Escobar Camprubí family are gathering at Hudson River Park Thursday to mark the one year since the deadly crash.
Stronger safety standards for sightseeing helicopters
They are calling attention to the Helicopter Safety Parity Act, which seeks stricter federal safety standards for sightseeing helicopter operations.
New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis will introduce the bill Friday. It aims to “close dangerous regulatory gaps by requiring helicopters carrying fare-paying passengers to meet the same high safety standards.”
The potential law would also require modern safety equipment such as cockpit voice, flight data recorders and terrain awareness technology. It would also fund FAA oversight, inspections and enforcement of the new standards.
Nadler called it “critical legislation that would close longstanding regulatory loopholes.”
The FAA said they do not comment on pending legislation, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not responded to a request for comment.
Helicopter tours operate under legal loophole, Schumer says
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer previously said many helicopter tour companies are exploiting a legal loophole to avoid more stringent safety rules.
The FAA allows these types of companies to operate under Part 91 regulations originally meant for personal flights rather than stricter rules for commercial flights, he said.
Retired vice chair of the NTSB Bruce Landsberg previously told CBS News New York’s Mahsa Saeidi that the FAA rarely inspects facilities under Part 91.
“These are commercial operations. They need to operate at the commercial level, but they’re not. They’re operating under the 25-mile exemption. That’s not right.”
The loophole applies when traveling less than 25 miles. It means tour helicopters that take off and land at the same area are under fewer regulations.
The tour company involved shut down operations less than one week after the deadly crash.