N216MH Aviation Accident 2025-04-10
Accident Summary
Fatal Accident (6) - Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV, N216MH, Hudson River near Jersey City, NJ, April 10, 2025.
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Accident Information
| Approx. Avalanche Location | Aircraft Fatalities | Ground Fatalities | Injured | ASN Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40°43'43.81"N 74° 1'38.21"W |
6 | 0 | 0 | Aviation Safety Network |
Aircraft Information
| Type | Operator | Registration | Serial Number | Manufacture Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV | Meridian helicopters LLC opb New York Helicopters | N216MH | 52296 | 2004 |
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ASX Accident Report
On April 10, 2025, at approximately 3:15 p.m. local time, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter, registration N216MH, crashed into the Hudson River near the Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel. The aircraft, operated by New York Helicopters and owned by Meridian Helicopters of Louisiana, was conducting a sightseeing tour over Manhattan when a catastrophic midair failure occurred. All six occupants onboard—the pilot and five passengers from the same family—were killed in the incident. The tour had followed a routine route common among local operators, departing the southern tip of Manhattan, circling the Statue of Liberty, and heading north along the east side of the Hudson River before reversing course near the George Washington Bridge.
The weather at the time of the accident was considered favorable for visual flight rules (VFR), with winds from 150 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 18 and visibility exceeding 10 miles. ADS-B data showed a normal flight profile until the moment of mechanical failure. The pilot, who was reportedly experienced and familiar with the route, had made his last radio call southbound near the Intrepid Museum, shortly before the helicopter began to disintegrate midair without any radio distress call or warning of a malfunction.
Video and eyewitness evidence revealed that the helicopter suffered a sudden and violent breakup in flight. Investigative attention has centered on the possibility of a severe mechanical failure involving the helicopter’s transmission system. Notably, one image and multiple videos show the main rotor assembly, along with its transmission, descending nearly intact under autorotation, suggesting that it separated from the airframe as a complete unit. This indicates a potential failure in the mounting beams that secure the transmission to the fuselage, or a sudden seizure of the transmission that initiated the catastrophic event.
The Bell 206L-4 is equipped with a semi-rigid two-bladed rotor system, connected to a planetary gear-driven transmission mounted via dual V-beams. Transmission monitoring systems include oil pressure and temperature gauges, as well as chip detectors designed to illuminate a cockpit warning light if metallic debris is detected. These systems typically allow pilots to respond to transmission anomalies with a precautionary landing. In this case, no such indication was reported, suggesting that the failure, if transmission-related, was abrupt and catastrophic, providing no warning or time for corrective action.
There was initial speculation online about mast bumping, a phenomenon where excessive rotor flapping causes the rotor hub to strike the mast, leading to in-flight breakup. However, experts have discounted this possibility due to the inherent design of the Bell 206 rotor system, which is more resistant to mast bumping than the more susceptible Robinson helicopter models. In addition, mast bumping typically results in the separation of the rotor system from the mast itself—yet the recovered components in this case show the transmission and rotor assembly remaining connected, descending as a unit.
From the flight track, the pilot followed the Hudson River VFR corridor, a known and published route, making regular calls at designated visual waypoints. No irregularities were detected until the aircraft reached a point near the Holland Tunnel, after which the breakup occurred. ATC logs do not reflect any distress call or mechanical advisory from the pilot. CEO Michael Roth of New York Helicopters later clarified to the media that the pilot had recently requested additional fuel for subsequent flights, but had not been experiencing a fuel-related emergency.
During the breakup, debris consistent with tail rotor components was seen falling separately from the intact main rotor-transmission assembly, reinforcing the theory of an internal mechanical failure rather than an aerodynamic one. Video analysis captured the helicopter entering the frame in what appeared to be controlled forward flight, followed by a sudden jolt, spin, and scattering of parts. One expert, Juan Browne (Blancolirio), compared the transmission seizure effect to "putting a stick in the spokes of a bicycle wheel going downhill"—a metaphor for the instantaneous disintegration caused by internal drivetrain stoppage.
The flotation devices mounted on the helicopter skids, a requirement for operations over water in New York, were not deployed during the descent. This suggests that the breakup rendered manual deployment impossible, or occurred too quickly for the pilot to respond. However, post-recovery images indicate the floats may have deployed automatically upon water impact, which is consistent with design features of some modern float systems.
The NTSB is currently collecting all wreckage components, particularly focusing on the transmission housing, drive shafts, chip detectors, and maintenance records. Investigators are also reviewing video and photographic evidence for structural sequencing clues. The helicopter, manufactured in 2004, had reportedly accumulated around 9,600 airframe hours and was operating under FAA Part 135 charter rules. Maintenance history and recent inspections are expected to play a central role in identifying the root cause.
The accident represents a rare instance of catastrophic mechanical failure in a Bell 206 series aircraft. Though widely considered reliable, any internal transmission failure of this nature is of particular concern, especially given the aircraft’s popularity in urban tourism operations. The NTSB’s final report is expected to clarify the origin and nature of the failure, as well as whether any pre-existing mechanical warnings were missed or undetectable during preflight and in-flight phases.
Tracking and Social Media
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