Metro

Schumer calls for ‘black boxes’ in helicopters after fatal NYC crash

The Federal Aviation Administration should require that all helicopters be outfitted with the same sort of “black boxes” that record flight information and cockpit conversations in commercial airplanes, US Sen. Chuck Schumer said Sunday.

Schumer (D-New York) cited last week’s deadly crash of a chopper atop a Midtown Manhattan office building as a key reason for his demand, saying that the lack of “critical on-board data” could hamper the investigation into its cause.

Schumer also noted that the National Transportation Safety Board, which is probing the fiery wreck, issued a similar recommendation to the FAA in 2013 following the fatal crash of a medical helicopter in Missouri.

Three crew members and a patient were killed when that aircraft ran out of fuel en route to a hospital.

Schumer called the FAA’s years of inaction “cause for serious concern.”

“So, in the name of safety, the FAA must take another look at the NTSB’s reports on chopper crashes similar to the one in New York City just last week and propel the safety measures that have been collecting dust for far too long,” he said.

FDNY firefighters assess the damage after a helicopter crashed on the top of a skyscraper
FDNY firefighters assess the damage after a helicopter crashed on the top of a skyscraperFDNY

An FAA spokesperson said the agency was assisting in the probe of Monday’s deadly mishap, and added: “It would be premature to consider any actions pending the outcome of the investigation.”

Pilot Tim McCormack, 58, was heading from the East 34th Street heliport to Linden, New Jersey, when he crash-landed on the roof of the AXA Equitable Center 787 Seventh Ave. around 1:45 p.m.

No one else was aboard the Agusta A109E and there were no other casualties.

McCormack wasn’t “instrument rated” to fly in bad weather and radioed that he’d gotten lost in rain and fog, an official briefed on the matter has said.