The sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing six people, did not have any flight recorders, which could have provided investigators crucial information about what caused the aircraft to go down, federal officials said.
So far, divers have not found any onboard video or camera recorders among the wreckage, according to a statement on Saturday from the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.
The helicopter’s avionics, which can include its navigational, communications and fuel systems, did not record any usable information, the statement said.
It was unclear whether the helicopter, a single-engine Bell 206L LongRanger, was required to be equipped with flight recorders. The National Transportation Safety Board directed questions to the Federal Aviation Administration, which did not immediately respond on Sunday.
The sightseeing company operating the aircraft, New York Helicopter Charter, had flown tourists around New York City for decades before the crash on Thursday. All of the people onboard were killed: the pilot, Seankese Johnson, 36, and a family visiting from Spain: Agustín Escobar, Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three children, Agustín, 10, Mercè, 8, and Víctor, 4.
The last major inspection of the helicopter that crashed was on March 1,