A FlyNYON sightseeing helicopter made an emergency hard landing on a Bayonne pier Tuesday morning after its crew reported losing engine power during a maintenance flight.
Emergency Landing at Port Jersey Marine Terminal
The 1999 Bell 206L helicopter touched down shortly before 9 a.m. at the Port Jersey Port Authority Marine Terminal, according to reports from WABC. Air traffic control recordings captured the pilot issuing a mayday call and reporting that the engine was out.
Mayday, mayday, mayday,
the pilot radioed in audio recorded by ATC.com, stating, We have low RPMs, we need to land outside the airport,
and our engine is out.
An air traffic controller responded, Do you see a spot to land can you point it out,
and later asked, 954 Roger. Have you seen a good spot there at the piers?
The pilot then replied, We’re going to land at Bayonne piers.
The aircraft landed on a road just beyond cargo shipping containers.
Before landing, the pilot informed controllers that the helicopter was carrying approximately 500 pounds of fuel.
Bayonne Fire Chief Frank Pawlowski stated in a release reported by Hudson County View that the aircraft rested upright in a roadway near the terminal. Firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded quickly to the scene.
Both people aboard the aircraft safely exited prior to emergency personnel arriving, according to Bayonne Fire Chief Frank Pawlowski. Officials confirmed that two crew members were on the maintenance flight and no injuries were reported.
Did You Know? Online listings from last year show the aircraft had logged more than 7,000 hours of air time and underwent a refurbishment in 2017, according to WABC.
🚨🇺🇸 HELICOPTER DECLARES MAYDAY BEFORE EMERGENCY LANDING ON NEW JERSEY PIER — BOTH ON BOARD ESCAPE UNHARMED A FlyNYON Bell 206 helicopter made a hard emergency landing at the Port Jersey Marine Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey, after its pilot reported engine trouble and declared…
Officials call for bans on sightseeing helicopter operations
The incident has intensified local debate regarding non-essential tourist flights over the Hudson River corridor. Elected officials and community leaders renewed calls to restrict or ban sightseeing helicopter operations in the region following the hard landing.
Today’s emergency landing in Bayonne is yet another reminder of the danger non-essential helicopters pose to our communities,
said U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez in a statement provided to Hudson County View. He added that lawmakers are pushing for full accountability and working to pass legislation to ban these flights.
Rep. Menendez further stated regarding the operators, They should see the harm that they’re causing our communities, that they’re putting people in danger, both in their aircrafts and on the ground in the communities that they fly over,
and said, We’re going to push them to get this audit done as quickly as possible for our communities.
He stated his ultimate goal is to see sightseeing helicopter tours grounded altogether, noting, They can do the right thing and shut down their operations because it’s non-essential. It doesn’t serve an essential purpose for our communities. They’re not first responders.
Local congressional leaders previously filed the Helicopter Safety Parity Act of 2026 this past April to strengthen safety requirements and inspections, according to WABC. Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed in September against FlyNYON and other operators alleges that flights operate too low and create excessive noise, as reported by News 12 New Jersey.
Federal agencies investigate the cause of mechanical trouble
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have begun examining the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing. Investigators are working alongside the Port Authority Police Department to determine the exact cause of the mechanical trouble.
Authorities reported no suspicions of criminal activity related to the flight. FlyNYON did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the incident, according to CNN.
What caused the emergency landing and were there injuries?
What caused the emergency landing?
The pilot reported engine trouble to air traffic control, radioing that the engine was out before selecting the Bayonne piers as an emergency landing spot, according to WABC.
A helicopter made an emergency landing on a Bayonne, New Jersey pier after the pilot reported engine failure and declared MAYDAY. The tail was torn off, with debris scattered across the pier, but both people aboard walked away unharmed. Investigators are still determining whether… pic.twitter.com/HIFz2xnWRr
Were there any injuries?
No injuries were reported, and both crew members safely exited the aircraft before emergency responders arrived, according to statements from Bayonne Fire Chief Frank Pawlowski reported by Hudson County View.
Which agencies are investigating the incident?
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are examining the incident with assistance from the Port Authority Police Department, according to Hudson County View.
More on Bayonne Fire Chief Frank Pawlowski
A sightseeing helicopter carrying two people made an emergency landing at the Port Liberty Container Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey, Tuesday morning after the pilot reported engine failure and issued a mayday call. The Bell 206 helicopter landed at approximately 8:55 a.m., with… pic.twitter.com/Rfnu8oRtXs
A helicopter carrying two people made an emergency landing on a port road in Bayonne, New Jersey, after the pilot reported an engine issue. Its tail was damaged, but no injuries were reported. The FAA will investigate.https://t.co/qzVxo5aqP3
Keep reading