A sightseeing helicopter made a hard emergency landing on a pier at the Port Liberty Container Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey, at around 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
The Bell 206 is operated by Fly NYON, a sightseeing company based in Kearny, New Jersey. The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot reported a possible engine issue before the landing.
In radio communications with air traffic control, the pilot called a mayday, said the helicopter had lost an engine, and asked for help finding a place to land immediately, outside of an airport. According to NBC New York, the exchange remained relatively calm as the pilot and controllers discussed the aircraft’s stability and picked a landing spot in Bayonne.
The helicopter came down on the pier near the cruise ship terminal. Its tail rotor was sheared off and came to rest nearby, with other debris scattered across the pier. It was not immediately clear whether the tail was damaged before the landing or on impact.
The only two people on board, the pilot and a co-pilot, were unharmed. Emergency crews responded to the scene, and the FAA confirmed the incident. The cause of the engine problem is under investigation.
