1990 East River helicopter crash

On February 10, 1990, a sightseeing helicopter departed from the East 34th Street Heliport, but it struggled against strong winds almost immediately after lifting off. The aircraft, a Bell 206 JetRanger, became unstable, rotated, and plunged into the frigid waters of the East River just 50 yards from the shore. The helicopter flipped upside down upon impact, and its emergency flotation system failed to deploy, leaving the fuselage partially submerged and rapidly filling with water. While the pilot and three passengers were rescued from the icy surface by nearby civilians in a rowboat and emergency responders, 13-year-old Robert Faller remained trapped inside the wreckage. Police divers worked in the freezing water for nearly 20 minutes before they successfully pulled him out. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, but he never regained consciousness and passed away five days later. This tragedy was the third fatal incident involving Island Helicopter Corporation near the same heliport in just five years. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded that the crash stemmed from the pilot's decision to abort the takeoff under challenging wind conditions, an action that resulted in a loss of control. The failure of the onboard safety equipment to trigger automatically left the passengers with almost no chance of escaping the sinking cabin on their own. The accident served as a stark precursor to decades of intense debate and reform regarding the safety of New York City's helicopter tourism industry.