FAA Grounds Helicopter Company After Fatal New York Crash

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered New York Helicopter Charter Inc. to cease operations while it conducts a review of the tour operator’s license and safety record following a deadly crash last week.

The regulator’s decision, announced on X, came just hours after US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on it to revoke the company’s license and expand safety inspections of other tour operators.

The New York senator criticized the company’s use of FAA Part 91 certification — a regulatory framework that permits sightseeing flights with fewer training, maintenance and oversight requirements than commercial operators must meet.