Federal auditors will examine whether helicopter tour operators are flying sightseeing trips under an “aerial photography” loophole that the NTSB said lets them follow the same safety rules and standards as private recreational pilots. That will be a main focus in a new Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General review of the FAA’s oversight of commercial helicopter air tours.
Announced yesterday, the audit starts this month at FAA headquarters and at selected Flight Standards District Offices chosen based on a sample of helicopter tour operators.
Since 2008, at least 58 crashes—11 involving fatalities—of tour helicopters have occurred across the U.S. More recently, a Bell 206L4 LongRanger on a sightseeing tour went down in the Hudson River on April 10, 2025, killing all six onboard.
The Commercial Air Tour Aviation Rulemaking Committee found, in a report dated Nov. 22, 2025, that major operational and procedural requirements for commercial air tours sit across multiple rules that overlap and sometimes contradict one another. It is “unclear to what extent FAA is aware of operators exploiting this loophole or other exemptions,” wrote Marshall Jackson, assistant inspector general for aviation audits.
Reps. Robert Menendez, Jerrold Nadler, Ed Case, Dan Goldman, Frank Pallone Jr., Jill Tokuda, and Nydia Velázquez requested the review on Oct. 16, 2025; the inspector general will also assess the FAA’s awareness of existing air-tour operations.
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