Accident: American Eurocopter Corp AS350B2

Liberty Helicopters Inc.'s use of a NYONair-provided passenger harness/tether system, which caught on and activated the floor-mounted engine fuel shutoff lever and resulted in the in-flight loss of engine power and the subsequent ditching. Contributing to this accident were (1) Liberty's and NYONair's deficient safety management, which did not adequately mitigate foreseeable risks associated with the harness/tether system interfering with the floor-mounted controls and hindering passenger egress; (2) Liberty allowing NYONair to influence the operational control of Liberty's FlyNYON flights; and (3) the Federal Aviation Administration's inadequate oversight of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 revenue passenger-carrying operations. Contributing to the severity of the accident were (1) the rapid capsizing of the helicopter due to partial inflation of the emergency flotation system and (2) Liberty and NYONair's use of the harness/tether system that hindered passenger egress.

NTSB docket ERA18MA099

• New York Skyports Inc Seaplane Base (NYS)3 nm (5 km) south-westVoydar estimateGreat-circle distance and initial true bearing between the two airport reference points.Version voydar.air.great_circle v1
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA)3 nm (6 km) eastVoydar estimateGreat-circle distance and initial true bearing between the two airport reference points.Version voydar.air.great_circle v1
• Teterboro Airport (TEB)7 nm (13 km) north-westVoydar estimateGreat-circle distance and initial true bearing between the two airport reference points.Version voydar.air.great_circle v1