Overview
- A FlyNYON Bell 206L-4 on a maintenance flight reported low RPMs and made an emergency landing on a roadway at the Port Jersey Marine Terminal in Bayonne on Tuesday with two people aboard who were not injured.
- Video and on-scene accounts show part of the helicopter’s tail separated and resting roughly 30 feet from the aircraft, and FAA records list the airframe as a 1999 model.
- Air traffic control audio captured the pilot declaring “mayday” and reporting an engine problem before selecting the container terminal for an urgent landing, and the FAA said it will investigate the incident.
- The event arrives after the DOT Office of Inspector General launched an audit of sightseeing helicopter safety and roughly one year after a fatal Bell 206L-4 crash in the Hudson River that investigators linked to bird strikes.
- Officials and local lawmakers have called for scrutiny of nonessential tour flights, and this near-miss could increase regulatory pressure and legislative push to tighten rules or limit flights over populated areas.