New York City continues to grieve following a horrific helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday that killed six people, three of whom were children. Recovery for the aircraft proves even more complicated given that, as officials have stated, it did not have any flight data, voice recorders or cameras on board.
The NTSB was notified on Saturday of the lack of black boxes in the Bell 206 helicopter which was confirmed not to have any flight information recording systems.
The reply further confirmed, “no video or data recorders were found… and no data was captured that could aid the investigation.”
Without any recorded evidence available, investigators will have to sort through radar information alongside witness statements and maintenance logs to reconstruct what they can from the helicopters final flight.
In addition to the profound loss being felt across the city, there is growing concern regarding whether safety regulations for civilian helicopters are stringent enough.