NTSB Calls for Stricter Regulation of Air Tour Operators After Deadly Helicopter Crash

‘We believe in one level of safety, strongly,’ said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Rescue vessels on the site of a helicopter crash in Hudson River in New York on April 10, 2025, in a still from video. Citizen App/Screenshot via NTD

Federal officials on Friday stressed the importance of regulation for private air tour operators in light of Thursday’s deadly aviation disaster in the Hudson River.

The crash, which involved a New York sightseeing helicopter, killed the pilot and a family of tourists from Spain.