Senator Chuck Schumer has called for the federal revocation of operating permits for New York Helicopter Tours following a tragic crash in the Hudson River that resulted in the deaths of a Spanish family of five and the pilot. Schumer has urged a pause on flights while investigations are ongoing and has criticized existing helicopter tour operations for prioritizing profits over passenger safety. His remarks come amid ongoing concerns about the safety of helicopter sightseeing tours in New York City, notably after numerous accidents in recent years have claimed lives.
"One of the things we can do to honor those lives and try to save others is to make sure it doesn't happen again," Schumer said. "We know there is one thing for sure about New York City's helicopter tour companies: they have a deadly track record."
Schumer also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to ramp up safety inspections for other helicopter tour companies, accusing them of 'cutting corners and putting profits over people.'
Hours after the crash, Mayor Eric Adams told CBS News New York, 'helicopters are safe and it's part of the New York experience.'
City Councilwoman Gale Brewer said she has been sounding the alarm for decades.
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