The Federal Aviation Administration accused the owner of the company behind last week’s fatal Hudson River helicopter crash of firing its director of operations in apparent retaliation for voluntarily shutting down all copter tours — and has ordered the company grounded.

New York Helicopter must “immediately surrender” its air carrier certificate in the wake of Thursday’s deadly crash and its CEO’s apparent decision to sack its director of operations over the weekend, which raised “serious safety concerns,” the FAA’s acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, announced on X.com Monday night in an “emergency order of suspension.”

According to the order, agency officials called New York Helicopter’s Director of Operations, Jason Costello, on Sunday requesting the company cease operations while the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the crash.

A helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront Thursday, April, 10, 2025, killing six people on board. (Bruce Wall via AP)

Costello agreed, and sent an e-mail confirming the company would voluntarily shut down its flights.

Sixteen minutes later, New York Helicopter CEO Michael Roth sent the FAA an update. According to the order: he didn’t authorize the move to cease operations, and Costello no longer works for New York Helicopter.

“The immediate firing of the Director of Operations raises serious safety concerns because it appears Mr. Roth retaliated against Mr. Costello for making the safety decision to cease operations during the investigations,” the FAA’s lawyers wrote.

Debris from a helicopter crash is seen in the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News)

That apparent firing factored into the FAA’s decision to ground New York Helicopter.

“NY Helicopter does not have a qualified person serving in the position of Director of Operations,” the FAA lawyers wrote. “The continued operations on NY Helicopter pose an unacceptable risk to safety in air commerce.”

Roth did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

The Bell 206 helicopter, which had no flight records equipped, was on its eighth tour of the day when it dropped from the sky during a sightseeing tour Thursday afternoon, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, with two of their three children are pictured in an undated photo. The family was killed in a helicopter crash on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (Facebook)

Spanish tourists Agustin Escobar, the CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility; his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young children all died in the crash, as did pilot Seankese “Sean” Johnson, after pieces of the helicopter, including the rotor, appeared to break off in midair.

Sean Johnson, the pilot of the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, April 10, 2025, with a family of five aboard. (Facebook)

The helicopter overturned and fell from the sky, hitting the river upside down.

Originally Published: April 15, 2025 at 2:12 PM EDT