The National Transportation Safety Board reports released Thursday describe evidence and witness reports suggesting the helicopter struck several birds before it plummeted into the river on April 10, 2025.
According to a bird expert from the Smithsonian Institute, a mixed species flock of Brant and Canada geese impacted the rotor blades and the horizontal stabilizer.
And a great black-backed gull was hit by flying debris from the tail section at force enough to mangle the bird and cause the bird wing to separate and come to rest on the rooftop with other helicopter debris.
The Federal Aviation Administration has said that helicopters are especially vulnerable to bird strikes because they fly at low altitudes. Helicopter bird strikes are unusual, but they can be devastating.
The victims of last year's accident included a Siemens business executive from Spain, his family and the pilot. Passengers Agustin Escobar, 49; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their three children, Victor, 4; Mercedes, 8; and Agustin, 10, all died. The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot's license in 2023.
The crash renewed safety concerns about the popular sightseeing flights and prompted New Jersey's governor to ask for additional restrictions on nonessential helicopter flights.
The information released Thursday by the NTSB is part of an ongoing investigation as authorities work to nail down a probable cause and all contributing factors.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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