NTSB wants halt on doors-off sightseeing helicopter rides
In the wake of a fatal 2018 crash of an Airbus AS350 helicopter into New York City’s East River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for a halt to doors-off helicopter flights that place passengers in supplemental passenger restraints - until federal regulators can better evaluate the safety of the restraints, which could interfere with the aircraft and hamper escape.
In addition, the NTSB strongly urged the Federal Aviation Administration to close a loophole that allows certain doors-off sightseeing flights to operate under an “aerial photography” exception to the tougher federal regulations and oversight that most commercial air tours operate under.