# NTSB ERA25MA171: Bell 206L-4, N216MH, Jersey City, NJ, April 10, 2025

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 2 · Major · Preliminary report
- Date: April 10, 2025, 15:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place: Jersey City, NJ · Hudson River near Holland Tunnel
- Coordinates: 40.728895, -74.027206 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7289&lon=-74.0272&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Aircraft structural failure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 6 fatal
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 2
- NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties: FAA/AVP 110, Transportation Safety Board Canada, Bell Helicopter, Rolls Royce
- NTSB case key (mKey): 199991
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA25MA171
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/199991/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=199991
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25MA171

## Preliminary report

On April 10, 2025, about 1515 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206L-4 helicopter, N216MH, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Jersey City, New Jersey. The pilot and five passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 air tour flight. Preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) flight track data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed the helicopter departed Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport (JRB), New York, New York, about 1458. The helicopter flew a teardrop pattern south of the Statue of Liberty, then proceeded north along the east side of the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan, past the George Washington Bridge, where it performed a u-turn, then headed south along the New Jersey side of the river (figure. 1). Figure 1. ADS-B flight track overview of entire route of flight from takeoff through loss of signal near the accident location. Figure 2 depicts the plot of the helicopter’s ADS-B-observed flight path for the final 1 minute of flight, with the reported time, altitude and groundspeed superimposed. As the helicopter approached the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers near Jersey City, New Jersey, it was at a geometric altitude between 625 and 650 ft. The helicopter’s altitude increased to 675 ft msl before it entered a rapid descent. The data ended at 1514:54.5 and the helicopter’s last observed altitude was 125 ft. Figure 2. ADS-B flight track and geographic data highlighting the last minute of the flight through breakup, uncontrolled decent and loss of signal. Several witnesses described hearing several loud “bangs” emanating from the helicopter before it broke up and descended into the river. Surveillance video (with accompanying audio) captured the helicopter traveling south before it suddenly separated into three major sections: fuselage (including the engine), main rotor system (including both main rotor blades, transmission and roof-beam structure), and the tail boom (including the tail rotor) (figure 3). Figure 3. Enhanced surveillance video with sequential images depicting the helicopter’s flight and breakup. The fuselage came to rest, inverted, north of the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers where the water depth was about 6 ft. The main rotor and tail boom sections were found north of the fuselage and were submerged to a depth of about 30 ft. Debris was also recovered from the surface of the river and from a rooftop near the Hoboken, New Jersey, transit building. The helicopter was not equipped with any video or data recording devices. Photos of the pilot taken just before the helicopter departed indicated that he was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which had video and audio recording capability. The sunglasses were not recovered. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. He held a current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)issued first-class medical certificate, and as of March 29, 2025, had logged 790.2 total hours of flight experience, of which, 48.6 hours were in the same make and model as the accident helicopter. The pilot worked a 10 days on/10 days off schedule and the accident flight was his first day back after having 10 days off. The accident flight was the eighth tour flight of the day for the accident helicopter, and all of those flights were operated by the pilot. Initial review of the helicopter’s maintenance records revealed the most recent inspection was an “event 2” of a progressive 300-hour inspection and 100-hour inspection conducted on February 27, 2025. At that time, the helicopter airframe accrued 12,975 total hours of operation, and the engine had accrued a total of 23,305 hours of operation. At the time of the accident, the helicopter had been operated about 50 hours since the inspection. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at JRB at the time of the accident. The surface observation taken at 1456 included broken clouds at 7,500 ft above ground level, wind from 150° at 10 knots gusting to 18 knots with variable wind between 120° and 190°, and 10 statute miles visibility. A peak wind of 36 knots from 260° was recorded at 1423. The wreckage was recovered from the river and retained for further examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute-cruise: Aircraft structural failure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337) (defining event); cases with it: [Bell 206-L4, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337/sequence.md?model=1182110), [All aircraft, 290 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/337/sequence.md)
- [Enroute-cruise: Part(s) separation from AC](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338); cases with it: [Bell 206-L4, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338/sequence.md?model=1182110), [All aircraft, 563 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338/sequence.md)
- [Enroute-cruise: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240); cases with it: [Bell 206-L4, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=1182110), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N216MH](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N216MH), registered now, S/N 52296, built 2004 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206L-4
- Registry model: [Bell 206-L4](https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206-l4) (registry code 1182110) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Rolls-Royce 250 20&30 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-250-20-30-series) (registry code 54584, turbo-shaft) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Helicopter
- Serial number: 52296
- Year built: 2004
- Airframe hours: 12975
- Damage: Destroyed
- Flight: Aerial observation, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Last inspection: 100 hour, February 27, 2025
- Departed: JRB, New York City, NY
- Equipment: Video recording device, ADS-B

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 150° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature: 46 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observed at: KJRB, 2 nm away
- METAR: METAR KJRB 101856Z AUTO 15010G18KT 120V190 10SM BKN075 08/M02 A3034 RMK AO2 PK WND 26036/1823 SLP274

## Docket (45 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 16, 2026, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=199991. 211 MB in all.

- Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 1.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18712316&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120%20NTSB%20Accident%20Report%20(final)_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- NTSB mor - witnesses (item 2, PDF, 4 pages, 139 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20638689&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20MOR-%20Witnesses_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report (item 3, PDF, 29 pages, 2.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20640747&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operations%20Group%20Factual%20Report%20(ERA25MA171)_Redacted-Rel-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 1 (item 4, PDF, 40 pages, 37.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19962548&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%201-Training%20Records_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 2 (item 5, PDF, 65 pages, 39.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20640425&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%202-Pilot%20Logbook%20Excerpt_Redacted-Rel-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 3 (item 6, PDF, 6 pages, 723 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20641840&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%203-Weight%20%26%20Balance-Rel-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 4 (item 7, PDF, 8 pages, 1.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20641341&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%204-FAA%20Order_Redacted-Rel-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 5 (item 8, PDF, 44 pages, 9.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20641745&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%205-OPS%20SPECS_Redacted-Rel-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 6 (item 9, PDF, 72 pages, 452 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20641418&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%206-Director%20of%20Operations%20and%20Chief%20Pilot%20Interviews_Redacted-Rel-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 7 (item 10, PDF, 16 pages, 221 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19964563&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%207-Email%20to%20Pilots%20Q%26A_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 8 (item 11, PDF, 8 pages, 196 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19964581&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%208-Operator%20Bird%20Mitigation%20Survey-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 9 (item 12, PDF, 8 pages, 127 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19964660&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%209-%20MOR_%20Dir%20Ops%20and%20Chief%20Pilot_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operations group chairman's factual report-attachment 10 video of pulselite and tail wag (item 13, MOV, 904 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20250838&FileExtension=mov&FileName=Customer%20Video%20of%20Tail%20Wag-Rel.mov
- Meteorology factual report (item 14, PDF, 24 pages, 3.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19788992&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA25MA171%20-%20Jersey%20City%20Weather%20Factual-Rel.pdf
- NTSB personal electronic device - specialist's factual report (item 15, PDF, 5 pages, 2 photos, 792 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19146425&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Personal%20Electronic%20Device%20-%20Specialist%27s%20Factual%20Report_ERA25MA171-Rel.pdf
- Sound spectrum - specialist's factual report (item 16, PDF, 8 pages, 2 photos, 514 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19802002&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA25MA171%20-%20SOUND%20SPECTRUM%20-%20DOCKET-Rel.pdf
- Sound spectrum - attachment 1 (audio from witness video) (item 17, WAV, 16.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19802012&FileExtension=wav&FileName=RingVideo_20250412_092418-Rel.wav
- Sound spectrum - attachment 2 (audio from witness video) (item 18, WAV, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19802459&FileExtension=wav&FileName=2CAA8EEFA70F20250411131652_album_local_cache-Rel.wav
- Video study (item 19, PDF, 17 pages, 2.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19997597&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Video_Study_B206L-4_Inflight_Breakup_Jersey_City_NJ_DOCKET_TEXT-Rel.pdf
- Video study - attachment 1 (prior to breakup) (item 20, PDF, 203 pages, 1.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19905949&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment_01_Image_Sequence_B206L4_JerseyCity_NJ_000-200-Rel.pdf
- Video study - attachment 2 (fuselage track) (item 21, PDF, 400 pages, 2.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19906335&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment_02_Image_Sequence_B206L4_JerseyCity_NJ_201-599_Fuselage_Track-Rel.pdf
- Video study - attachment 3 (main rotor track) (item 22, PDF, 400 pages, 2.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19906746&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment_03_Image_Sequence_B206L4_JerseyCity_NJ_201-599_Boom_Main_Rotor_Track-Rel.pdf
- Video study - attachment 4 (main rotor impact) (item 23, PDF, 123 pages, 6.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19906655&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment_04_Image_Sequence_B206L4_JerseyCity_NJ_Main_Rotor_Water_Impact_001-122-Rel.pdf
- Video study - attachment 5 (main rotor detailed) (item 24, PDF, 46 pages, 2.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19906459&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment_05_Image_Sequence_B206L4_JerseyCity_NJ_001-080_Main_Rotor_Ground_Witness-Rel.pdf
- Video study - attachment 6 (birds or debris) (item 25, PDF, 152 pages, 10.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19905959&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment_06_Image_Sequence_B206L4_JerseyCity_NJ_220-370_Birds_or_Debris_Ground_Witness-Rel.pdf
- Video study - attachment 7 (ring camera) (item 26, PDF, 301 pages, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20023573&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment_07_Image_Sequence_B206L4_JerseyCity_NJ_Ring_Camera_000-299-Rel.pdf
- Video study - attachment 8 (ADS-B data plots) (item 27, PDF, 12 pages, 5.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19971243&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment_08_B206L4_JerseyCity_NJ_ADS-B_Data_Plots-Rel.pdf
- Airworthiness group chairman's factual report (item 28, PDF, 55 pages, 42 photos, 7.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19966176&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Airworthiness%20Group%20Factual%20Report%20(ERA25MA171)-Rel.pdf
- Airworthiness group chairman's factual report - attachment 1 (item 29, PDF, 6 pages, 5.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19930551&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Airworthiness%20Group%20Factual%20Report%20-%20Atttachment%201%20(ERA25MA171)_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Airworthiness group chairman's factual report - atttachment 2 (item 30, PDF, 6 pages, 25.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19930125&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Airworthiness%20Group%20Factual%20Report%20-%20Atttachment%202%20(ERA25MA171)_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Smithsonian feather lab report (item 31, PDF, 4 pages, 353 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20412387&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Simthsonian%20Feather%20Lab%20Report_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Smithsonian feather lab report_attachment 1 (item 32, XLSX, 38 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19937010&FileExtension=xlsx&FileName=Feather%20Lab_Attachment%201-Rel.xlsx
- Smithsonian feather lab report_attachment 2 (item 33, PDF, 1 page, 41 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19937574&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Feather%20Lab_Attachment%202-Rel.pdf
- Structures group chairman's factual report (item 34, PDF, 26 pages, 2.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20016342&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Structures%20Group%20Chairman%27s%20Factual%20Report-Rel.pdf
- Structures group chairman's factual report - attachment 1 (item 35, PDF, 5 pages, 1.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19940653&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Structures%20Group%20Chairman%27s%20Factual%20Report%20-%20Attachment%201%20-%20FAA%20SAIB%20AIR-21-17R1-Rel.pdf
- Structures group chairman's factual report - attachment 2 (item 36, PDF, 121 pages, 3.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19940366&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Structures%20Group%20Chairman%27s%20Factual%20Report%20-%20Attachment%202%20-%20ARAC%20RBSWG%20Final%20Report-Rel.pdf
- Structures group chairman's factual report - attachment 3 (item 37, PDF, 18 pages, 473 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19940287&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Structures%20Group%20Chairman%27s%20Factual%20Report%20-%20Attachment%203%20-%20Explanatory%20Note%20to%20Decision%202021-016-R-Rel.pdf
- Structures group chairman's factual report - attachment 4 (item 38, PDF, 24 pages, 535 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19941124&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Structures%20Group%20Chairman%27s%20Factual%20Report%20-%20Attachment%204%20-%20NPA%202021-02-Rel.pdf
- Materials laboratory factual report 25-077 (annuciator panels) (item 39, PDF, 10 pages, 11 photos, 2.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19762358&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=25-077%20Factual-Rel.pdf
- Materials laboratory factual report 25-084 (rotor blades) (item 40, PDF, 39 pages, 57 photos, 8.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19954048&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Materials%20Laboratory%20Factual%20Report%2025-084%20(rotor%20blades)-Rel.pdf
- Materials laboratory factual report 26-007 (tail boom section) (item 41, PDF, 8 pages, 6 photos, 821 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19954321&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Materials%20Laboratory%20Factual%20Report%2026-007-Rel.pdf
- Statement of party representatives to NTSB investigation (item 42, PDF, 14 pages, 153 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18712154&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Party%20Form%20ERA25FA171%20-%20Rolls%20Royce%20(002)_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- NTSB safety research group report (item 43, PDF, 6 pages, 186 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19940224&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=RE%20Data%20Request_Bird%20Strike_ERA25MA171_Final_12.05.25-Rel.pdf
- NTSB safety research group report_attachment (item 44, XLSX, 49 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19940234&FileExtension=xlsx&FileName=RE%20Data%20Request%20for%20ERA25MA171_Bird%20Strike%20Accidents_Final_12.05.25-Rel.xlsx
- Toxicological report_pilot (item 45, PDF, 1 page, 164 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20642245&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Toxicology_Pilot_Redacted-Rel.pdf

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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