The crash of a sightseeing helicopter into the Hudson River has left six people dead, including the pilot and three children. Any explanations as to the cause are speculation, until the National Transportation Safety Board conducts a full and thorough investigation.
The contrast between airplane flight and helicopter flight may give some the impression that helicopters are less safe. Yet the data does not support this perception.
Airplane flight is inherently linear, with takeoffs, cruising and landing mostly executed in a single direction. Helicopters are designed to move in any direction, giving them greater flexibility and maneuverability. Since both use airspace, their flights are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration. This means that helicopter flights, like airplane flights, are highly regulated, including oversight by air traffic control to ensure that the highest standards of safety are met.
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The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Opinion newsletter SubscribeThe data on fatal accidents across different types of flight is revealing. From 2018 to 2022, the fatal accident rate for helicopters was 0.77 fatal accidents per 100,000 hours, with a target to bring this rate down to 0.55 or less. In contrast, the fatal accident rate for general aviation (recreational, private and business planes) was 0.88 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours. The risk for commercial aviation was effectively zero fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours, given that just three such events occurred between 2010 and 2023 and millions of hours of flight were executed.
When airplane accidents occur, the most likely cause is pilot error. This also applies to helicopter crashes, and can include control mistakes on the part of the pilot or even maintenance personnel who did not adequately prepare the helicopter for its flight. The checklist of items ensures that every flight operates as safely as possible. Yet mistakes do occur, despite all such precautions.
Helicopters and airplanes also have different footprints when it comes to their applications uses. Airplanes are typically for more efficient travel over longer distances. Helicopters travel at significantly lower speeds and are hence used for shorter distances. They are often used to get people quickly into areas where airplanes cannot easily maneuver. Medical helicopters are particularly useful in rural areas or areas where access by ground transportation is inefficient. Landing spots can also be located at urban heliports, making their use as on-demand urban taxis a feasible option over time. New York’s Downtown Manhattan Heliport is one of the busiest in the nation.
Tour company helicopters provide access to areas that can be difficult to reach while providing a view inaccessible from the ground. Helicopter sightseeing trips around urban areas like New York City, Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon and the Hawaiian Islands are popular excursions with tourists. Given that these companies rely on their safety record to encourage new business, their attention to detail must be impeccable.
Helicopter travel in some urban areas is not welcomed by all. One organization, Stop the Chop, is against non-essential helicopter travel in the New Yor,k City area. A nonprofit organization, they maintain that the noise created by non-essential helicopter flights, including tourist flights, is a problem for all those who live in the city. The recent accident may add yet another reason to support their mission.
Helicopter accidents do occur. The recent crash of an Army helicopter into an American Airlines regional jet in March was a high-profile incident that demonstrated the risks when airplane and helicopter paths overlap. Since the incident, helicopters can no longer fly near Washington Reagan National Airport.
The helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant in 2020 also drew national attention. In contrast, sightseeing helicopter crashes, like the one in 2019 in Hawaii, drew much less national attention. The fact that such few incidents occur is indicative of how safe helicopter travel has become.
The next few weeks will be critical for the National Transportation Safety Board to uncover what happened to the tour helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River. Although it is tragic that all of the people on the helicopter were killed, there could have been significantly more fatalities if the crash had occurred over land. What the investigation learns and reveals will hopefully lead to even safer helicopter travel in the future.
Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He uses his expertise in risk-based analytics to address problems in public policy.
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