Helicopter flights over New York City deemed nonessential would be banned under proposed federal legislation

Recreational and other nonessential helicopter flights would be banned over New York City under federal legislation introduced this month in the aftermath of last month's deadly tourist flight that crashed over the Hudson River and killed all six people aboard.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan), covers a 20-mile radius from the Statue of Liberty — a distance that includes parts of western Nassau County, southern Westchester and eastern New Jersey, as well as Kennedy and Newark airports.

If the bill becomes law, no nonessential helicopter could be flown within that 20-mile radius — which would appear to include the rides favored by the ultrarich to and from the city and the Hamptons.

Flights for law enforcement, emergency and disaster response and services meant "for the benefit of the general public," including by news organizations, are among the exceptions contained in the bill, which was introduced May 5 to the House of Representatives and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

"For far too long, nonessential helicopter flights have endangered public safety and shattered the peace of our neighborhoods," Nadler said in a statement included in a news release. Emails and a voicemail sent Wednesday to Nadler’s office were not returned.

The "Stop the Chop" campaign and similar movements, composed of those lamenting noise, pollution and the dangers of crashes, have been part of a yearslong effort to ban recreational flights over the city. The movement got a renewed push after the April 10 crash that killed a Spanish family of five and their pilot over Jersey City when a Bell 206L-4 broke apart and plunged into the Hudson. The government investigation into the crash is incomplete, but a preliminary report issued earlier this month said witnesses reported having heard loud bangs from the sightseeing helicopter in the moments before it fell.

In a recent month, the city took nearly 7,500 complaints about helicopter noise, a period in which there were nearly 8,900 helicopter flights over city land or water, according to an analysis released last year by New York City Council staff. 

In April, the council voted to ban nonessential flights by helicopters that don’t meet federal noise standards, a law that would take effect at the end of 2029 and apply to Manhattan’s key heliports. The bill Nadler introduced is more expansive.

For years, residents from the East End westward have been complaining, largely in vain, about the rumble and rattle of helicopter rotors overhead interfering with sleep, drowning out conversations and generally disrupting their quality of life. It all gets worse, residents say, as more people fly to and from the Hamptons during the summer.

Ilan Nahoom, owner of Ronkonkoma-based Flying Helicopters Made Easy, told Newsday the proposed ban is unwise, unnecessary, nonsensical and an overreaction. Accidents, he said, are "the way life goes" and an inevitable part of all modes of transportation.

"It's gonna hurt not just the business. It’s gonna hurt all the market. People are gonna lose jobs. The access to the city is gonna be limited, so I don’t understand what’s the reason behind it. I understand accidents happen, but accidents happen on the road every two minutes," said Nahoom, a pilot whose company makes hundreds of flights a year between the city and the Island, including from the Hamptons. He said his company's flights can cost roughly between $2,000 and $3,000 one way, a trip that takes about a half hour and avoids hours on the roads or railroad.

As for the sightseeing crash last month over the Hudson? Nahoom said it’s tragic, but rare.

"It’s not the first helicopter accident," he said. "It’s not gonna be the last, OK? Just to say it as cold as we can."

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.