The chopper run by New York Helicopter Tours also lacked flight recorders, the National Transportation Safety Board also said.
No video or camera recorders have been recovered from the Bell 206 helicopter, the NTSB said, and none of the equipment on it had recorded information that would help the investigation.
Divers from the NYPD were continuing to search for parts of the helicopter, including the main rotor, gearbox, tail rotor and the tail boom, the safety agency said.
The FAA said it was “analyzing airplane/helicopter hotspots nationwide” and it would hold a helicopter safety panel meeting on April 22 to discuss the findings.
New York Helicopter Tours said on its website it was referring all requests for comment to the FAA and NTSB.
The aircraft, whose passengers included a senior executive of Siemens AG, his wife and three children, had its last major inspection done on March 1, and had completed seven tour flights before the crash, according to federal investigators.
Divers recovered the victims’ remains as well as the pilot from the submerged helicopter.
Four people were declared dead at the scene, while the remaining two died later after they were transported to nearby hospitals. (Reuters)
