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NEW YORK (AP) — Federal aviation regulators issued an emergency order Monday grounding the helicopter tour company involved in a deadly New York crash after learning it had fired its operations director minutes after he had agreed to suspend flights during the investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it suspected the firing was retaliation for a safety decision.
“The FAA is taking this action in part because after the company’s director of operations voluntarily shut down flights, he was fired,” acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau said on X.
New York Helicopter Tours' sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River Thursday, killing five tourists from Spain and the pilot.
Rocheleau said the agency also began a comprehensive review of the company’s operations. The review is designed to determine whether an operator complies with regulations and effectively manages safety, and identifies hazards and risks.
The victims included passengers Agustin Escobar, 49, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, and their three children, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10. The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot’s license in 2023. The crash has renewed safety concerns about the popular sightseeing flights.
The company's director of operations, Jason Costello, agreed on Sunday to voluntarily halt flights while the crash was being investigated. But 16 minutes after Costello sent an email to the FAA, the company's chief executive officer sent a separate email to the agency saying he did not authorize the halt. The CEO, Michael Roth, also said Costello was no longer an employee, according to the FAA order.
“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 investigation,” read the document.
The FAA in its order said the company now lacks a required director of operations.
An email seeking comment was sent to Roth.
Also Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board said divers found key components of the Bell 206 L-4 helicopter as they wrapped up recovery efforts in the river. New York City police divers working with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and Jersey City’s Office of Emergency Management recovered and secured the main rotor system and the tail rotor system, which are expected to provide clues about the crash.
