Transcript: Mayor Adams Calls in for Live Interview on 1010 WINS' "Morning Drive"

April 11, 2025

Scott Stanford: All right, WINS News Time, 7:46, talking about this horrible helicopter crash on the Hudson yesterday. A family of five from Spain, the pilot all killed in the accident. I want to bring in Mayor Adams, FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker, to talk more about what went wrong and next steps. Mayor, commissioner, thank you for taking a few minutes. 

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. 

Stanford: Mayor Adams, you know, we read and we do these types of stories all the time, right? But when it happens here in our city, it stings just a little more for all of us, doesn't it? 

Mayor Adams: No, so true. And we have witnessed throughout the last few months, several incidents involving not only helicopters, but planes. And it just gives you a little doubt. But we should be clear that air traffic, for the most part, is extremely safe. And this investigation, which would be headed by NTSB, would determine exactly what happened here. They are professionals. And we know that air traffic is crucial, not only for tourism, but for business in the city. So we must make sure safety is paramount. 

Stanford: Yeah, mayor, you know, there have been calls, of course, after this tragedy, you could say renewed calls to put an end to the copter tours here. Proponents of a ban saying, imagine if it would have come down on a populated area. What are your thoughts on considering a ban on those tourist copters? 

Mayor Adams: Well, the use of helicopters, I should say, in this city is more than just tourism. It's also part of the business of moving. CEOs and executives, we utilize helicopters, travel with the New York City Police Department. So they play a crucial role. And people come to the city because of the attractiveness of the city.  

We had 65 million tourists last year. We have thousands of flights using helicopters and tourism. People want to see the city from the sky. At the heart of this is safety. It must be done right. We must look at the maintenance record of this helicopter. We must look at the record of the pilot. And we need to find out what happened. And I think that is the first thing we do. And then we should look and have conversations around the use of tourist helicopters. 

Stanford: Commissioner Tucker, we know the NTSB is on the scene. Mayor mentioned that. Is there anything you could share with us? You know, what do we know up to this point? 

Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker: Look, you know, we don't know anything new this morning that we didn't know yesterday. The helicopter is now out of the water. The investigators from the federal government are here in New York and are doing their job as they always do.  

We're just very proud of the FDNY team and the response and the choreography, really, that's based on our training together with the NYPD. I mean, yesterday, albeit a very tragic outcome, really proved just how well FDNY and NYPD are working together, both on land and in the water. 

Mayor Adams: We also want to thank the New Jersey personnel, the first responders in New Jersey. This tri-state coordination is so crucial when you have these emergencies, because anything can happen in densely populated cities. And if we don't coordinate with our law enforcement and first responders partners, we won't be able to accomplish these missions of this magnitude. 

Stanford: Commissioner, one more for you. You know, this is such a tragedy, even more heartbreaking when children are involved. And I always think about the men and women, the first responders.  

Have you spoken with the members of the dive team, those first responders who have to go in and try to rescue those folks? I mean, how do you help them cope with what they saw and experienced yesterday? 

Fire Commissioner Tucker: Yeah, it's a really good point, and thanks for recognizing that, you know, these members of the FDNY, the answer is yes. Our chief of department and I and several staff chiefs from our department were at the Marine Company headquarters on the Hudson River shortly after this incident.  

We have a very active counseling services unit that deploys to incidents like this. You know, we're unfortunately dealing with tragedies frequently, and we've got an apparatus within the Fire Department to help our members both after critical incidents like this, and just with their day-to-day trauma and stress. 

Stanford: And mayor, last question for you, you know, we saw that video of the helicopter coming out of the sky. We heard the reports. I mean, it seemed to just fall apart in midair. Now, if the tours do continue, and nothing, of course, is foolproof, you know, what can be done in your mind?  

You mentioned the safety, but what can be done in your mind to increase the safety for that part of the tourism sector here in the city? And I'll ask you, I know you're on copters a lot. Do you feel safe cruising about in those helicopters? 

Mayor Adams: I don't think there is anyone that flies frequently that did not experience some turbulence. And you know, when I'm on a helicopter, from time to time, you feel the wind, you feel the turbulence, you feel the drop, you know, that's in the back of the mind of anyone who's taking either a plane or helicopter flight.  

What I say over and over again, these pilots are professionals. I have to trust in the maintenance record. I have to trust in the training for the pilots and, you know, allow them to do their job. And that's what we're going to do here. The NTSB and all investigators are going to determine, again, the maintenance record, the safety, the pilot's record. All of this is taken into account. I don't think anyone does it better than the NTSB. And we're going to follow their lead in this area to make sure that air traffic is safe in our city. 

Stanford: Yeah, just a horrible, horrible day in New York City yesterday. Mayor Adams, FDNY Commissioner Tucker, gentlemen, thank you so much for the time this morning. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you.