The horrible tragedy last week in which a Spanish family and the pilot were killed when their helicopter crashed into the Hudson River gave rise to some questionable crisis communications and response from the aircraft operator’s CEO. We believe in not over-sanitizing statements but this is an (admittedly extreme) example of the need for discipline.

On Thursday, April 10, at about 3:17 p.m., about 18 minutes into its flight, a Bell 206 sightseeing helicopter with a family of five and the pilot aboard had its main rotor break off, causing it to crash into the Hudson River near Jersey City, New Jersey. All six passengers — a mother, a father, three children and the pilot — were killed.

In an interview with the New York Post the day of the accident, Michael Roth, CEO of operator New York Helicopter, said some good things such as “I’m a father and a grandfather and to have children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated.” Unfortunately, there was also this: “But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break.”

‘No Clue’

That regrettable line was repeated in other coverage. Roth also told the Post, “The only thing I could guess — I got no clue — is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know.”

Again, while it’s refreshing to see statements that aren’t sanitized and lawyered up, a tragedy as serious as this one calls for more sober comments — comments that won’t come off as flip or uncaring.

At some point, the company did post a decent statement on its website (the site appears to have since been taken down). It said it was “profoundly saddened by the tragic accident.” It said that “the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations. Our immediate focus is supporting the families and their loved ones affected by this tragedy, as well as fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigations.”

But then — speaking of those investigations — on Monday, the Federal Aviation Authority issued an order shutting down New York Helicopter after it learned that CEO Roth had fired Director of Operations Jason Costello 16 minutes after Costello emailed the FAA agreeing to halt flights during the crash probes.

‘Safety Concerns’

“The immediate firing of the director of operations raises serious safety concerns because it appears Mr. Roth retaliated against Mr. Costello for making the safety decision to cease operations during the investigations,” the FAA wrote in the order.

While we need more details on this and haven’t heard New York Helicopter’s side of the story, this is — again — questionable crisis response. The company’s reputation and future are at stake.

New York Helicopter should have especially been more sensitive to these issues because it doesn’t have a squeaky-clean record. The press coverage has noted it had an incident in 2013 in which one of its helicopters carrying a family of four Swedes was forced to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River when it lost power. The company was sued this January for allegedly not paying for a leased chopper, according to the AP. And in 2019, it filed for bankruptcy, from which it emerged in 2022.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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