Jury Awards $116M to Family of NYC Helicopter Crash Victim

The 2018 crash that killed five passengers was largely blamed on safety oversights by FlyNYON and Liberty Helicopters.

Trevor Cadigan, a 26-year-old journalist, was one of five passengers who died when an open-door helicopter crashed into the East River in March 2018.
The jury assigned 42% of the fault to FlyNYON, 38% to Liberty Helicopters, and 20% to Dart Aerospace for the malfunctioning flotation device.
The crash occurred after a passenger tether got caught on a floor-mounted fuel shutoff switch, causing the engine to stop.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that passengers were unable to free themselves from their harnesses, which were not designed for aviation use.
Following the crash, the FAA temporarily grounded doors-off flights with tight seat restraints, later allowing them to resume with improved safety measures.