On Sunday (April 13), Jason Costello, director of operations for New York Helicopter Charter, agreed by email to voluntarily suspend operations at a request from the FAA. Within 16 minutes, Michael Roth, CEO of NY Helicopter notified the FAA that the agreement to suspend operations had been reversed and Costello was no longer an employee.
Jason Costello and Michael Roth sound like names from a Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum novel. Unfortunately the 6 that perished in the Hudson weren’t the bad guys this time. I give Jason Costello an A+ for having the courage to do what was right.
Responsible people would stop flying until remaining aircraft inspected, don’t need investigation results to check things that would cause what was observed.
In any case, FAA asked DO to stop flying, which he did.
Firing him for agreeing with FAA was a stupid move.
(I wonder if there were many passengers to sell tickets to after the visible crash.)
I agree. Something is rotten at the core. The ops director is fired for complying with an FAA safety request? In 16 minutes?
I’m a cause and effect guy. I’m sure FAA had a reason to request the pause and no reason to reverse the decision. And what’s the effect of refusing an FAA request?
I am a former owner, chief pilot and DO of a 135 operation and can now speak out. My company was in business over 15 years and had one non injury accident when a FAA approved, defective design oil filter adapter failed and caused an engine failure, that adapter for TCM engines is still on the market, so be advised.
There are some good and dedicated FAA inspectors and then there are the others. There is constant turnover at FSDOs and many new inspectors come in and despite an operation having a perfect safety record will go on a dig to find something, anything to ding you on, many times a paperwork issue that now sends the operator on a time consuming paper chase doing nothing to improve safety.
I’ve also had a FAA inspector mandate an expensive transponder change when the regulations clearly indicated it wasn’t required , if I didn’t do it they would not sign the aircraft off, $7000 down the drain for nothing, if I fought it they really come after you later.
Sold a Cessna 210 to a Brazilian company and submitted all required paper work to OKC and local FSDO but months latter FSDO called and asked about the aircraft in Brazil operating in my company name, the FAA or FSDO failed to canceled the registration and the aircraft was flying around in Brazil, under my company, with my old N number!
I was just glad the DEA wasn’t involved.
Had a FAA drug testing program auditor ask about my lack of drug program verification for a company he saw in logbook called Teledyne Continental Engines, he didn’t know who they were!
There’s lots more but just because a FAA emergency action happens doesn’t mean the operation did something egregious, let’s keep in mind the FAA approved the 737 MAX software not so long ago.
Let the facts in the accident come out before condemning the operation.
Keith, your speculation is spot on. The NY news media reported yesterday that another Heli Tour operator was advertising deep discounts (on the order of 67 percent) for tours. It appears this incident is already affecting the entire industry, at least in NYC.
(Craziness if the jurk wanted to keep operating in the face of very deep discounts from competitors - better to sit until publics memories fade. (What net would be achieved from operating at very deep discount, after fuel and pilot wage and eventually maintenance costs?)
Certainly are bad apples and great people - typical of bureaucracies whether government, business, or charity. Worse every time there is a funding problem some of the best people retire early, some of them become designees (DARs, DERs, …).
A Seattle MIDO inspector who was usually fine kept requiting something HQ told him not to.
But in this case The Question is why the owner fired the DO because he followed the recommendation of the agency that could pull his operating certificate right or wrong. Even if a political act for public appearances the operating certificate is your business’s ticket to income.
I got a grounded because while I was off getting lunch, the FSDO inspector came by and saw my half-finished wax job and assumed the aircraft had massive corrosion. Then he saw (horrors) grease on the nose gear steering and assumed it was a massive oil leak
