The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says evidence points to a bird strike as a likely cause of last year’s tourist helicopter crash in New York City’s Hudson River that killed all six people on board. Reports from multiple outlets cite NTSB findings indicating the helicopter encountered birds before it went down in the river on April 10, 2025. Accounts describe signs consistent with a strike affecting the aircraft’s operation, including witness observations and physical evidence recovered from the wreckage. One outlet, citing a bird expert from the Smithsonian Institution, reports that remains from several different types of geese were identified on the wreckage. Other coverage adds context from the Federal Aviation Administration, noting that helicopters can be vulnerable to bird strikes because they often operate at low altitudes. The sources agree that investigators have not described an alternative primary cause, and that the bird strike evidence is central to the NTSB’s assessment. The crash remains under investigation as the full determination of contributing factors is finalized.