The doomed tourist helicopter that broke apart mid-air Thursday before plunging into the Hudson River, killing all on board, was not equipped with a black box.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made the revelation Saturday night, stating that the aircraft did not have the device, also known as a flight recorder
“The helicopter was not equipped with any flight recorders. No onboard video recorders or camera recorders have been recovered, and none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used for the investigation,” the NTSB said.
This development came as authorities continue to comb the murky waters of the Hudson River for debris left behind from the tragic flight of April 10. The agency said the NYPD divers are still attempting to recover the helicopter’s main rotor, main gearbox, tail rotor, and a large portion of the tail boom by using “side-scanning sonar” to detect possible locations in the river.
“The main fuselage, including the cockpit and cabin, the forward portion of the tail boom, the horizontal stabilizer finlets and the vertical fin have been recovered. Some of the recovered parts will be sent to the NTSB laboratories in Washington for closer inspection,” the NTSB added.
A flotation device, a portion of a seat, and even a shoe belonging to one of the deceased children was found floating in the waters on Thursday.
The helicopter, piloted by former Navy Seal Sean Johnson, had seven previous flights that same day and was on its eighth when the Escobar family of five lost their lives. The aircraft was last inspected on March 1.
Meanwhile, as authorities continue to investigate what exactly went wrong, some experts are weighing in, speculating as to what caused the deadly crash. Aviation analyst Julian Bray told The Sun that he believes that the failure may have stemmed from a small component known as the “Jesus Nut.” He says it holds the rotor in place.
“What appears to have happened with this particular helicopter is that the rotor, the main rotor… had detached, because in one video we see the blades spinning away from the helicopter,” Bray said. “It’s either defective or wasn’t tightened up, or for some reason, it sheared.”
Officials say police divers would be out again on the Hudson River on Sunday looking for additional debris.
