the investigation continues into the deadly crash of a tourist helicopter over the Hudson River that killed a family of five and the pilot the company involved in the crash New York Helicopter Tours shut down operations immediately according to the FAA the agency says it's supporting the investigation being led by the National Transportation Safety Board and will launch a review of the tour operator's license and safety record but the probe overall is proving difficult according to the NTSB the helicopter didn't have flight recorders on board which would have held vital information for investigators as senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan reports it's one more reason calls are mounting to ban the tours [Music] altogether a barge crane today retrieved wreckage apparently the helicopters severed tail section from near the crash scene just off the Jersey City shoreline as investigators continued searching for the cause of last week's deadly crash that killed a family of five and the chopper pilot on a sightseeing tour assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez heard it happen the boom was so scary i I had no idea what happened i ran out and I just saw chaos she lives in a nearby high-rise apartment building near a daycare center in Jersey City it was tragic but thank God it happened in the water and not over a building not over a daycare not over a hospital and in especially in densely populated areas that's a huge risk ramirez is co-sponsoring legislation to ban tourist helicopters from lifting off in New Jersey the downed aircraft's operator New York helicopter tours shut down on Sunday but tourist hilos still fill the skies and they fly over residential neighborhoods on the Jersey side thousands of flights lift off from a helport in Carney there's in the north there's the Castle Point route that goes over the Jersey City Heights in Hoboken then there's the Holland route which goes as you can see over the Holland tunnel area cory Davis lives in Hoboken when I'm at the park and a helicopter flies over my head at 350 ft while I'm playing with my daughter I don't feel safe especially after an incident like this the 21-year-old Bell Long Ranger that crashed passed inspection March 1st but the New York Times cites FAA records showing mechanics found bits of metal in the helicopter's transmission oil back in September it's a sign of old or worn parts new York helicopter tours had reported two prior chopper incidents but no injuries it filed for bankruptcy in 2019 this particular chopper and the fact that they you know it wasn't being maintained as it should um makes you wonder about you know our other tour companies also not maintaining their helicopters in the way that they should be it's an accident waiting to happen brenda 37 people have died in helicopter crashes in joy rides since 1977 and how many more people have to die the FAA is already investigating what it calls helicopter hotspots in different areas across the country and says that it will hold a safety panel to discuss risks and additional mitigation on April 22nd we have the most crowded airspace in the world here um because of that the the helicopters fly extremely low to the ground it creates a number of different kind of quality of life issues but as we saw in this tragedy there's a real lack of regulation in this industry um and we think that people's lives are at risk and a ban on non-essential flights is the most appropriate step to take the National Transportation Safety Board's long registered its concerns over sightseeing flights noting these operations are not subject to the same maintenance airworthiness and operational requirements as other commercial flight operations but New York City Mayor Eric Adams does not want to shut down the helicopters that is part of the attractions of businesses being in this city people coming to the city seeing the city um from the air it's part of this attraction what we must do is make sure it's safe make sure it's done correctly a trade group that represents helicopter operators opposes a ban noting some well-meaning but misguided leaders are using this tragedy to exploit and push their decades old agenda to ban all helicopters we need to learn more from the investigation that is ongoing the owner of New York Helicopter Tours didn't return our phone calls in Jersey City i'm Brenda Flanigan NJ Spotlight News [Music]