Investigation Summary
The accident occurred during a planned 15 minute sightseeing tour of Manhattan. As the helicopter lifted off from the elevated heliport platform, it encountered gusty wind conditions. The pilot attempted to transition to forward flight, but the aircraft settled in a nose-low attitude as it moved off the platform and over the water. Witnesses reported seeing sparks and smoke, though investigators later found no evidence of pre-impact mechanical failure or fire. The helicopter struck the water approximately 50 yards offshore and immediately flipped upside down. The emergency rubber pontoons, intended to keep the aircraft afloat, failed to inflate. The pilot and three passengers managed to exit the cabin, but 13 year old Robert Faller was trapped by his seatbelt in the submerged, inverted fuselage. The rescue was complicated by the East River's strong currents and near-freezing temperatures. NYPD divers eventually recovered the unconscious boy, who had suffered cardiac arrest due to hypothermia and drowning. The NTSB investigation focused on the pilot's decision-making regarding the wind and the technical failure of the flotation system.
Final Conclusions
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable causes were the pilot's misjudgment of the wind, resulting in a downwind takeoff, and the loss of lift when the helicopter flew off the heliport platform prior to reaching effective translational lift. A contributing factor was the failure of the emergency flotation system to deploy automatically, which led to the helicopter inverting and submerging.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Emergency Flotation System
Rubber pontoons designed to inflate and keep the helicopter buoyant during a water landing; in this event, the system failed to deploy, causing the aircraft to sink and invert.
Power Turbine Governor
A component sent for metallurgical testing in Washington D.C. after a crack was discovered, though it was ultimately ruled out as a cause of the crash.
Interesting Facts
- 01The crash was the third fatal incident involving Island Helicopter Corporation near the same heliport within a five-year span.
- 02The emergency flotation system failed to inflate upon impact, contributing to the aircraft's inversion.
- 03The 13-year-old victim was trapped underwater for approximately 20 minutes before being freed by divers.
- 04NTSB investigators examined a cracked power turbine governor but found no evidence it caused a mechanical failure prior to impact.
- 05The pilot, Charles Rodda, was 26 years old at the time of the accident.
Safety Actions & Advisories
NTSB Recommendation A-95-62
Require all occupants of helicopter air tour flights to wear life preservers when operating over water unless at an altitude allowing a glide to land.
NTSB Recommendation A-95-63
Require that all helicopters equipped with inflatable flotation systems have the activation switch located on one of the primary flight controls.