Incident Underscores Need for Federal Action and Legislation Banning Non-Essential Helicopter Flights

JERSEY CITY, NJ - Today, Congressman Rob Menendez (NJ-08) released the following statement on the non-essential helicopter emergency landing that occurred in Bayonne this morning:

"Today's emergency landing in Bayonne is yet another reminder of the danger non-essential helicopters pose to our communities," said Congressman Rob Menendez. "We are grateful that everyone involved is safe and thankful to the Port Authority for their swift lifesaving response. No community should be exposed to this risk, especially for non-essential flights that serve no public purpose. These unnecessary flights over our densely populated neighborhoods put thousands of people in danger every day. We are pushing the FAA and Congress for full accountability and working to pass our legislation to ban these flights once and for all."

Since coming to Congress, Congressman Menendez has led the fight against non-essential helicopter traffic in the region. He has led efforts to pressure the DOT Inspector General to take action on helicopter safety and called on the EPA to protect New Jerseyans against helicopter noise pollution. He has also led several bills, including the Improving Helicopter Safety Act, Communities Before Air Tourism Act, and the Protecting Communities from Helicopter Noise Act. Most recently, he co-led the Helicopter Safety and Parity Act, which would elevate helicopters to the highest level of aviation safety standards.

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