FlyNYON chief pilot arrested on drug charges

The doors-off helicopter tour company FlyNYON has fired its new chief pilot after he was arrested on drug and weapons charges Saturday.

According to the Erie County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO), 27-year-old Michael Campbell was returning from a trip to New York City on Sept. 15 when he was stopped in Buffalo, New York, by members of the ECSO and Buffalo Police Department’s narcotics units.

Officers executed a search warrant for Campbell’s vehicle, discovering two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of cocaine and cash. Following the traffic stop, the ECSO raided Campbell’s residence in Buffalo, recovering a loaded .22 caliber revolver and scales with cocaine residue.

Simultaneously, the Buffalo Police raided another home, where they recovered cocaine, ketamine, and cash, and arrested 36-year-old Carmello Incorvaia.

Campbell, arrested by the ECSO, is charged with felony counts of criminal possession of a narcotic with intent to sell, criminal possession of a narcotic, and criminal possession of a firearm. He is also charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, and two separate counts of criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

Incorvaia is charged with felony counts of criminal possession of a narcotic and ketamine, and several misdemeanor counts. According to the ECSO, the arrests represent the culmination of a two-month-long investigation.

The ECSO identified Campbell as the founder of FlyBuffaloNY, a helicopter sightseeing tour company based at the Buffalo-Lancaster Regional Airport. However, Campbell was also recently hired as the chief pilot of Kearny, New Jersey-based FlyNYON, following the departure of the company’s previous chief pilot, Morgan Kavanaugh, who was with FlyNYON for only a few months.

In an email to Vertical on Sept. 19, a FlyNYON spokesperson stated, “Michael Campbell was highly regarded within the aviation community when he came to FlyNYON, and all due diligence was performed before he was hired. However, in light of his recent arrest, Michael has been terminated.”

Campbell gained a measure of fame in 2013 after he performed a successful emergency landing on the Hudson River following an engine failure during a sightseeing tour. According to the National Transportation Safety Board report on that incident, he was at the controls of a Bell 206L4 with four passengers on board when an oil supply path blockage resulted in a loss of power.

Campbell entered autorotation, successfully deployed the aircraft’s emergency floats, and touched down on the surface of the water. No one on board was injured, and the aircraft suffered only minor damage.

FlyNYON came under scrutiny earlier this year following a helicopter engine failure with a more tragic outcome. On March 11, five FlyNYON passengers died when the Liberty Helicopters AS350 B2 they were riding in lost power and made a forced landing to the East River during a doors-off photo flight. In that event, the helicopter’s right-side floats failed to inflate, causing it to overturn in the water. The passengers were tightly harnessed to the aircraft and unable to free themselves, and drowned.

At the time of the accident, FlyNYON CEO Patrick Day, Jr.’s father, Patrick Day, Sr., was listed as the director of operations (DOO) on the company’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) part 135 operating certificate. Patrick Day, Sr. was simultaneously serving as the DOO for Liberty Helicopters.

Following the accident, FlyNYON ceased chartering helicopters from Liberty, and its then chief pilot, Brian Rosenberg, replaced Patrick Day, Sr. as DOO.

However, Rosenberg left FlyNYON in August. On Sept. 6, Vertical reported on evidence that the company was allowing some safety hazards to slip through the cracks, including sending passengers aloft with very loose-fitting shoes while encouraging them to extend their feet outside the helicopter for “shoe selfies.”

14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 119 requires that part 135 certificate holders such as FlyNYON have qualified personnel serving in the positions of DOO, chief pilot, and director of maintenance. Last week, Vertical asked the FAA whether there is a limit to the number of times a part 135 certificate can change responsible personnel before the FAA identifies the lack of oversight continuity as a hazard to the public.

An FAA spokesperson responded, “The number of times a 14 CFR part 135 certificate holder changes 14 CFR part 119 required personnel does not automatically indicate a hazard to the public. Required management personnel are authorized by the FAA, so the FAA has direct visibility on required management personnel changes, evaluates the risk potential, and may modify FAA surveillance requirements for that specific operator.”

Because FlyNYON is doing business under the part 135 operating certificate of East West Helicopter LLC, it is surveilled by the FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) in Cincinnati, Ohio — 600 miles from FlyNYON’s operations — rather than local FSDOs in New York or New Jersey. Following Campbell’s arrest, the FAA told Vertical that it had not suspended any of FlyNYON’s activities.

Instead, an FAA spokesperson stated, “The Cincinnati Flight Standards District Office, which oversees the operator, is working with the certificate holder according to current FAA guidance for a replacement chief pilot to be appointed in a timely manner.”