(CNN) The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday ordered no more "doors-off" aircraft flights unless the passenger safety restraints can be quickly released in an emergency, the agency said.

The FAA also said it will conduct a top-to-bottom review of its rules governing these flights to make sure there are no additional safety gaps for passengers.

The announcement comes in the wake of the New York helicopter crash in which five passengers died . The helicopter, with the doors removed so passengers could take unobscured photographs, experienced engine problems and crashed in the East River. Its pontoons did inflate but then it flipped upside down and sank into the water.

The pilot was able to remove himself from his harness and escape, but all five passengers died from accidental drowning, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner said.

The helicopter was owned by Liberty Helicopters. The passengers bought tickets for the flight through FlyNYON, which advertised its harnesses and doors-off helicopter rides earlier in the day Sunday.

Read More</s>In the wake of the crash that killed five people in New York City, federal regulators on Friday afternoon ordered an immediate stop to all “doors-off” helicopter flights that attach passengers to the cabin with harnesses that cannot be removed quickly in an emergency.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that the directive applied to all helicopter operators that offer such flights across the country. Riding in a helicopter with the doors off, or open, to allow unimpeded photography has become a popular adventure in certain areas, including New York City, Las Vegas and Hawaii.

On Sunday, a helicopter that carried five passengers who were wearing harnesses that allowed them to lean out the open doors crashed into the East River. All five passengers drowned after the helicopter rolled over in the frigid water. Only the pilot survived.

“Operators, pilots, and consumers should be aware of the hazard presented by supplemental restraint devices in the event of an emergency evacuation during ‘doors off’ flights,” the F.A.A. said in a statement released on Friday. “The F.A.A. will order operators and pilots to take immediate actions to control or mitigate this risk. Until then, the F.A.A. will order no more ‘doors off’ operations that involve restraints that cannot be released quickly in an emergency.”</s>The US Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it will review regulations for "doors off" helicopter flights -- popular with photographers -- following a crash that killed five people in New York City.

The FAA "will conduct a top-to-bottom review of its rules governing these flights to examine any potential misapplication that could create safety gaps for passengers," it said.

Helicopter flights with the doors open provide passengers with a more direct view of the skyline than flights with the aircraft's doors shut.

For now, the FAA has banned "doors off" flights that use restraints that cannot be easily released, which apparently played a significant role in the deaths of five passengers when a Eurocopter AS350 crashed into the East River on Sunday.

Only the pilot survived the crash of the helicopter, which was operated by tourism group Liberty.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said that while the pilot was able to free himself, the passengers were "all tied tightly in harnesses that had to be cut and removed."</s>March 16 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday it is no longer allowing 'doors-off' helicopter flights unless passenger safety harnesses can be quickly and easily unfastened in the event of an emergency.

The announcement comes in the wake of the helicopter crash that killed five people last weekend.

Engine trouble forced a New York City sightseeing helicopter owned and operated by Liberty Helicopters to land in the East River on Sunday evening. Though flotation devices were effectively deployed, they failed to keep the helicopter upright. The five passengers drowned after the aircraft tipped over into the frigid water.

Helicopter pilot Richard Vance was able to free himself from his harness and escape the sinking helicopter.

Doorless helicopters allow sightseers to take unobstructed photographs, but they require the use of tight-fitting harnesses ensure passengers remain safely inside the helicopter.

"The FAA will order operators and pilots to take immediate actions to control or mitigate this risk," the agency said in a statement. "Until then, the FAA will order no more "doors off" operations that involve restraints that cannot be released quickly in an emergency."

The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the cause of the accident. On Friday, the agency said they found no signs of engine failure or pre-impact mechanical problems.

Earlier this week, the parents of one of the victims announced they were suing the helicopter company and pilot for negligence.</s>The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday ordered no more “doors-off” aircraft flights unless the passenger safety restraints can be quickly released in an emergency, the agency said.

The FAA also said it will conduct a top-to-bottom review of its rules governing these flights to make sure there are no additional safety gaps for passengers.

The announcement comes in the wake of the New York helicopter crash in which five passengers died. The helicopter, with the doors removed so passengers could take unobscured photographs, experienced engine problems and crashed in the East River. Its pontoons did inflate but then it flipped upside down and sank into the water.

The pilot was able to remove himself from his harness and escape, but all five passengers died from accidental drowning, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner said.

The helicopter was owned by Liberty Helicopters. The passengers bought tickets for the flight through FlyNYON, which advertised its harnesses and doors-off helicopter rides earlier in the day Sunday.

Liberty Helicopters posted a statement on its website after the crash, saying it is “focused on supporting the families affected by this tragic accident and on fully cooperating with the FAA and (National Transportation Safety Board) investigations.” It said it was referring all media inquiries to federal agencies.

FlyNYON said on Twitter it is fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB inquiries.

The FAA said Tuesday it was giving “urgent attention” to the use of harnesses specifically for aerial photography flights.</s>A deadly New York City helicopter crash has prompted regulators to temporarily ground flights that have the doors open and that use tight seat restraints that could trap people in emergencies.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the ban Friday amid concerns such harnesses prevented passengers from escaping when their helicopter plunged into the East River on Sunday, killing five people.

The FAA says the ban applies to helicopters that fly with doors open, often so passengers can take pictures, and use harnesses that can't be quickly released. The agency says the flights must stay grounded until the restraints are fixed.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro says divers had to cut passengers out of their harnesses. The parents of one crash victim call the harnesses a 'death trap.'

The FAA 'will conduct a top-to-bottom review of its rules governing these flights to examine any potential misapplication that could create safety gaps for passengers,' it said.

Helicopter flights with the doors open provide passengers with a more direct view of the skyline than flights with the aircraft's doors shut.

On Wednesday, family members of one of the five victims in Sunday's crash filed a lawsuit against the aviation company, FlyNYON and the tour group Liberty Helicopters.

In a lawsuit filed by Trevor Cadigan's family, the members claim the company did not provide enough knives to help remove the passengers from their nylon harnesses, leaving them stuck, according to TMZ.

Cadigan, 26, died, as well as Daniel Thompson, 34, Tristan Hill, 29, Brian McDaniel, 26, and Carla Vallejos Blanco, 29.

The family further alleged in the suit that the sole survivor in the crash, pilot Richard Vance, 33, was not able to 'maintain proper control' of the helicopter.

He also 'failed to properly perform emergency procedures' and did not 'properly secure personal items within the helicopter,' the gossip site reports of the suit.

On Tuesday, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed all five victims aboard died by accidental drowning.

The medical examiner's office came under fire Tuesday by victim Hill's family for refusing to allow them to view his body.

The victim's brother, Brendan Hill, said his family was 'devastated' after Chief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson blocked them from seeing him, according to the New York Daily News.

Sampson said they wanted to provide a picture of his body to confirm his identity, but the family turned her down.

'My parents fought over a long period of time before they would allow us to view the body. We told them we're not (settling for a photo),' Brendan Hill told the local newspaper.

The five passengers on board the helicopter drowned to death after finding themselves trapped upside down by their harnesses.

Cadigan was a journalist and his friend, McDaniel, was visiting him from Dallas, where he worked as a firefighter.

Blanco was a tourist from Argentina, while Hill worked for a sightseeing startup and Thompson, a chorus singer.

Divers searching the crash site found the passengers still strapped into their tight-fitting harnesses.

The harnesses, which had kept them safe while they were in the air, ultimately prevented their escape, the New York City Fire Department revealed yesterday.

Rescue divers found them dozens of feet below below the water inside the capsized chopper, said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

'It took a while for the divers to get these people out. They worked very quickly, as fast as they could,' Nigro said.

'It was a great tragedy that we had here.'

A law enforcement source noted how the harnesses did 'too good a job'.

'The harness, which was supposed to keep them strapped in while they're taking pictures, also kept them locked in while they were underwater,' they told the New York Post.

'It did too good a job. They couldn't free themselves,' the source said.

The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350, crashed into the water around 7.06pm on Sunday near East 90th Street and Roosevelt Island, in the waters just off of Gracie Mansion.

Pilot Vance escaped the crash moments after impact, but the five passengers were trapped inside, unable to escape from their safety harnesses as the helicopter flipped and sank, police said.

The water temperature was just 39 degrees at the time of the crash.

Two passengers died at the scene and three were transported to hospitals in critical condition, said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

Those three were all pronounced dead in the hospital, fire officials said early Monday.

Hill moved to the city a few months ago to work as the director of operations at sightseeing company SightSy.

He planned to marry his fiance Eda Ozmen, a yoga instructor, back in Reno, Nevada, where the Singapore-born man grew up, on May 26.

Thompson was president of the non-profit organization Young New Yorkers' Chorus, where he had performed since 2008 as a member of the mixed ensemble.

Cadigan also a recent transplant to the city, moving in October to intern at Business Insider.

His friend McDaniel, also 26, was on a trip to visit his longtime friend.The two both attended Bishop Lynch High School together.

Cadigan got a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University while his friend went into firefighting.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also looking into whether an emergency flotation device on the helicopter deployed properly.

The floats are supposed allow a helicopter to stay upright, rather than overturning and submerging.

NTSB member Bella Dinh-Zarr said Monday it will be some time before that finding is made.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, is calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend Liberty Helicopters' operating license until the facts of the crash are known.

Schumer said Monday the tour and charter company shouldn't fly until officials 'get to the bottom of this.'

Video shows the dramatic moment the helicopter landed in the water, flipped, and then began to sink into the 39-degree waters.

A few moments later, witnesses saw the pilot surface with a yellow raft. He was rescued by a tug boat.

Part of the reason why it took so long to pull their bodies from the sunken wreckage was because they were strapped in with special harnesses that had allowed them to lean out and take pictures of the city while the doors of the helicopter were open.

'One of the most difficult parts of the operation, we're told, was the five people, besides the pilot, were all tightly harnessed,' said Commissioner Nigro.

'So these harnesses had to be cut and removed in order to get these folks off of this helicopter.'</s>NEW YORK, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities ordered an end on Friday to so-called "doors off" helicopter rides unless passengers are equipped with quick-release restraints, following a crash in New York City last week that killed five people.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it also will conduct a "top to bottom review" of its rules governing such flights to examine any potential misapplication that could create safety gaps for passengers. (Reporting by Daniel Wallis Editing by Bill Trott)</s>NEW YORK — A deadly New York City helicopter crash has prompted regulators to temporarily ground flights that have the doors open and that use tight seat restraints that could trap people in emergencies.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the ban Friday amid concerns such harnesses prevented passengers from escaping when their helicopter plunged into the East River on Sunday, killing five people.

The FAA says the ban applies to helicopters that fly with doors open, often so passengers can take pictures, and use harnesses that can’t be quickly released. The agency says the flights must stay grounded until the restraints are fixed.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro (NEYE’-groh) says divers had to cut passengers out of their harnesses. The parents of one crash victim call the harnesses a “death trap.”</s>The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday ordered operators and pilots to cease all “doors-off” flights on aircraft that don't have quick-release restraints — a move that comes less than a week after five passengers drowned when they became trapped in their crashed tour helicopter on the East River.

The FAA said it is ordering operators and pilots to take immediate actions to control or mitigate the risk of "supplemental restraint devices" used on some doors-off flights.

“Until then, the FAA will order no more ‘doors-off’ operations that involve restraints that cannot be released quickly in an emergency,” the FAA said in a statement.

The harnesses the FAA is referring to are generally equipped with blades that require the user to cut through the restraint to escape during an emergency. 



In Friday's statement, the FAA said it will be conducting a top to bottom review of its rules governing “doors off” flights to “examine any potential misapplication that could create safety gaps for passengers.”

Earlier this week the AA said it was giving “urgent attention” to the use of harnesses during aerial photography flights in which doors are left open so passengers can take aerial photos.</s>NEW YORK — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered no more “doors off” helicopter rides that involve restraints that cannot be released quickly in an emergency.

The order comes following an investigation into the hazards of restraints after five people drowned when a helicopter crashed into the East River last Sunday.

When emergency workers dove into the frigid waters of New York’s East River to reach the downed helicopter, they found a disturbing scene.

The harnesses meant to keep the passengers safe on the doors-off helicopter flight had turned into death traps.

“One of the most difficult parts of the operation, we’re told, is the five people besides the pilot were all tightly harnessed,” Fire Department of New York Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

“So these harnesses had to be cut and removed in order to get these folks off of this helicopter, which was upside-down at the time and completely submerged.”

Carla Vallejos Blanco, 29; Brian McDaniel, 26; Trevor Cadigan, 26; Tristan Hill, 29; and Daniel Thompson, 34, all died due to accidental drowning, according to the medical examiner.

All five were passengers in a Liberty Helicopters aircraft when it crashed into the East River around sunset on Sunday. The pilot, Richard Vance, 33, was the only person to survive the crash.

On Friday, it was announced that the FAA will order operators and pilots to take immediate actions to control or mitigate this risk. Until then, the FAA will order no more “doors off” operations that involve restraints that cannot be released quickly in an emergency.

Open door photo chopper tours are legal, but it’s unclear how much safety training their pilots and operators have. Investigators are also looking at the harnesses there to protect and keep passengers safe as they lean out for spectacular photos.

Liberty Helicopters describes itself as “the largest and most experienced helicopter sightseeing and charter service in New York City,” with a fleet of 10 Airbus helicopters. Sunday’s deadly incident was the third time in 11 years one of its helicopters crashed in New York.
The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States restricts "doors off" aircraft flights following a helicopter crash that killed 5 people.