LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) — Friday marks one year since a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five from Spain.<\/p>\n
The tragedy has sparked calls for increased safety measures for sightseeing flights.<\/p>\n
It comes after the New York Helicopter Tours chartered chopper broke apart in the air and crashed into the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan on April 10, 2025.<\/p>\n
The crash killed pilot Sean Johnson as well as Agust\u00edn Escobar Ca\u00f1adas, Merc\u00e8 Camprub\u00ed Montal, and their three children.<\/p>\n
The family of the victims from Spain made an emotional visit to the Hudson River on Thursday where they honored their loved ones.<\/p>\n
But they wanted the visit to also be about turning their grief into action.<\/p>\n
They stood side by side with local elected officials to push for Congress to pass the Helicopter Safety Parity Act.<\/p>\n
“We want to avoid more people suffering what we suffered,” said family member Joan Camprub\u00ed Montal. “And aviation safety for us should not be a choice, it should be a responsibility. Our prayer is that no family will suffer this again.”<\/p>\n
Lawmakers say the legislation aims to close longstanding regulatory loopholes and require sightseeing helicopter operators to meet the same rigorous safety standards as commercial airlines.<\/p>\n
“It would subject the helicopters to much more rigorous inspection, the same standards as commercial aircraft basically,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler. “That would mean inspections more often and more thoroughly.”<\/p>\n
Elected officials say they are still waiting on the official findings from the NTSB on what caused the crash.<\/p>\n
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