NTSB Eyes Goose Strike in Fatal Hudson Helicopter Crash

According to new NTSB docket filings, investigators are examining evidence that a Bell 206 LongRanger IV air-tour helicopter may have struck a flock of geese before breaking apart over the Hudson River near Jersey City, New Jersey, on April 10, 2025, killing the pilot and all five passengers. No probable cause has yet been determined, and the investigation is ongoing.

Witness accounts indicate the presence of birds in the helicopter’s flight path. One witness running along the Jersey City pedestrian path told the NTSB that a flock of approximately 20 large birds, believed to be geese based on their size and wingspan, took flight directly in front of her and headed eastward toward the river shortly before she heard a “bang” overhead and observed the helicopter’s tail section separate from the main body.

A second witness in a nearby apartment building reported seeing birds in the area and watched the helicopter descend rapidly, describing it as falling “like a brick.” A third witness in Hoboken observed gray or black-colored organic debris, not metallic in appearance, floating from the sky after the rotorcraft’s breakup.

A Smithsonian Institution feather identification lab analysis—submitted to the NTSB investigation docket—suggests that a mixed-species flock of geese may have hit the helicopter’s rotor blades and horizontal stabilizer. Investigators examined 126 samples from three separate collection efforts. Goose material, including remains embedded in a crack at the distal end of rotor blade 303, was identified on the rotor blades and on the horizontal stabilizer. 

The feather lab’s analysis notes that an intact gull wing, “together with a few pieces from the rotor (foam) and tail section fragment,” was recovered from the rooftop of a building near the accident site. The lab’s report states, “Wing had fresh flesh with bones clearly severed from the body” and feather damage consistent with high-speed debris penetration.

The Smithsonian concluded the bird was struck by flying debris from the helicopter’s breakup causing the wing to separate and land on the rooftop alongside pieces of rotor foam and tail section fragment. The report noted it is unlikely the gull would comingle with a flock of geese, and appears to have been in the wrong place as the helicopter came apart.

N216MH was operated as a Part 91 air tour during the accident flight. ADS-B data showed the helicopter departed Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport (KJRB), flew a teardrop pattern south of the Statue of Liberty, proceeded north along the Manhattan side of the Hudson past the George Washington Bridge, executed a u-turn, and headed south along the New Jersey side of the river.

During the final minute of flight, ADS-B data recorded the helicopter approaching the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers between 625 and 650 feet msl before a brief climb to 675 feet and a rapid descent. Several witnesses reported hearing multiple loud bangs before the helicopter separated into three major sections: fuselage with engine, main rotor system with transmission and roof-beam structure, and tail boom with tail rotor.

The fuselage came to rest inverted in approximately six feet of water north of the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers; the main rotor and tail boom sections were submerged to a depth of about 30 feet. Debris was also recovered from a rooftop near the Hoboken, New Jersey transit building.

The helicopter was not equipped with flight data or cockpit voice recorders. Photos taken just before departure showed the pilot wearing Ray-Ban Meta smart sunglasses, described in the preliminary report as capable of capturing video and audio, but they were not recovered.