Sightseeing Helicopter Lands Hard on Pier After Power Loss

WHO:

CNN - The aircraft was a Bell 206 operated by sightseeing helicopter company FlyNYON.

CNN - Two people were aboard, conducting a maintenance flight; air traffic control radio calls indicated both were OK.

CNN - The pilot reported the aircraft’s problem over the radio.

ABC News US - The helicopter was a New York City sightseeing helicopter on a maintenance flight.

NY Post - The pilot reported an engine failure.

CNN - The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident.

WHAT:

CNN - The pilot reported losing engine power and made an emergency landing on a pier outside New York City.

ABC News US - The helicopter made an emergency landing at a New Jersey cargo port after the pilot reported possible engine trouble.

NY Post - The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing.

CNN - The helicopter’s tail was ripped off and hung from a nearby fence.

CNN - The pilot radioed: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. We have low RPMs, we need to land outside the airport,” followed by, “We have an engine out… we’re going to land at Bayonne piers.”

CNN - FlyNYON did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

CNN - FlyNYON’s website states: “At FlyNYON, your safety is our number one priority,” and says its team has “over three generations of aviation experience and 50,000+ flight hours.”

WHERE:

CNN - The helicopter took off from Kearny, New Jersey, and was over the water headed toward Brooklyn when the pilot reported a problem.

CNN - It landed on a road beyond cargo shipping containers at Bayonne piers; video was shown by CNN affiliate WABC.

ABC News US - The emergency landing was at a New Jersey cargo port.

NY Post - The incident occurred just outside New York City.

WHY:

CNN - The pilot reported losing engine power; the NY Post described the problem as engine failure, while ABC News US reported possible engine trouble.

CNN - A separate tourist helicopter crash the previous year killed a family of five and the pilot; investigators determined that aircraft had hit a flock of birds.

HOW:

CNN - Helicopters can use their blades to slow their descent without engine power through a process called autorotation; CNN noted that some crashes have nevertheless been fatal.

(UPDATED November 10, 2026 18:02 UTC)

A sightseeing helicopter lost engine power and made an emergency landing at Bayonne piers in New Jersey. The FlyNYON Bell 206 was on a maintenance flight, carrying two people, both reportedly safe. Its tail was torn off; the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident.