Charter & Fractional
NYC Helo Crash Puts Spotlight on Doors-off Flights
Amateur video shows the helicopter making a hard impact then rolling right with main blades churning into the water and then rolling inverted.

The NTSB's investigation into the fatal March 11 crash of a “doors off” helicopter photo tour flight into New York's East River will continue for months, but key areas of interest likely will be the supplemental passenger restraint systems, the fuel shutoff control, and the emergency pop-out floats.

N350LH was a 2013 Airbus Helicopters AS350B2 owned by Meridian I Consulting and operated by Liberty Helicopters for FlyNYon. It was operating under the Part 91 aerial photography exemption, with five passengers and one pilot aboard when it crashed at approximately 7:08 p.m, 11 minutes after takeoff from the Helo Kearny (65NJ) heliport in Kearny, New Jersey. Moments after being cleared into Class B airspace at 2,000 feet, pilot Richard Vance, 33, radioed a mayday call and indicated an engine failure.