Netflix ‘Extraction 2’ promo under fire for using chopper firm involved in deadly NYC crash - Lejit Reporters
Netflix ‘Extraction 2’ promo under fire for using chopper firm involved in deadly NYC crash - Lejit Reporters
Netflix plans to promote the next installment of its popular “Extraction” film series — by partnering with an embattled chopper company that was reprimanded for its role in a 2018 East River crash that killed five tourists who couldn’t be quickly extracted from choppy waters.
The streaming service giant has invited social media influencers to “train like Tyler Rake from Extraction 2” – referring to the ex-Australian special agent lead character portrayed by “Thor” actor Chris Hemsworth – during a “doors-off helicopter ride” over Manhattan to be followed by “stunt training,” according to an email invite obtained by The Post.
However, the invite fails to note that Kearny, N.J.-based FlyNYON, which is providing the chopper tourist services, came under fire from the feds following the March 2018 crash in which the pilot escaped and was rescued but the passengers were trapped inside by their safety harnesses and died.
The findings of the National Transportation Safety Board probe released in 2019 found the tour provider and flight operator Liberty Helicopters “exploited” a regulatory loophole to avoid scrutiny of its “doors-off” tourist flights.
It found they deliberately registered their trips designed to allow sightseers to dangle their feet outside the choppers while snapping Instagram pics under a provision for professional aerial photographers “to avoid any indications that the flights may be commercial tours.”
As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration didn’t closely inspect the harnesses intended to keep the passengers secure in the craft and which ultimately caused the crash and prevented the passengers from escaping, the board found.
“It’s disgustingly ironic,” said a source close to the FAA. “Netflix is promoting a movie called ‘Extraction 2’ and the reason the people died on [the 2018 flight] was because they couldn’t be extracted.”
“And FlyNYON is still using the same loophole to fly people with the doors off because they call them photographers. It’s so ridiculous,” added the source, who said he expects the FAA to amp up inspections on the company.
In the aftermath of the 2018 crash, the FAA temporarily banned doors-off flights but then allowed them to resume on the condition that passengers wear FAA-approved restraints that can be released quickly in the event of an emergency. However, NTSB sleuths noted in 2019 that standards or guidance for those inspections had yet to be set.
The Netflix invite says the “interactive Extraction 2 Day” will be “filled with Tyler Rake-worthy activities and “kick off” at 11:30 a.m. from FLYNYON Helicopter Tours in Kearney “with a doors-off helicopter tour of NYC for a thrilling ride and some spectacular views.”
“From there, we will shuttle you around the Mandarin Oriental [hotel by Columbus Circle in Manhattan] for a stunt training session with Bobby Holland Hanton, Chris Hemsworth’s stunt double for his character Tyler Rake. You’ll learn how to throw a stunt punch, react to a bullet hit and much more!” it says.
Extraction 2 premieres June 16 on Netflix.
FlyNYON’s Web site currently touts 50 percent savings on its 16- and 30-minute chopper tours, dropping prices to $250 and $457 per seat, respectively. It also boasts photos of passengers dangling their legs over Central Park and the water surrounding the Statue of Liberty.
Netflix and FlyNYON did not immediately return messages left Saturday.
In a 2019 statement, a FlyNYON rep declined to address the NTSB’s concerns but blamed the 2018 deaths on the failure of the helicopter’s emergency flotation system.
“If the emergency flotation system had operated as designed and certified, any issues with the harness and tether system are immaterial,” the spokesman said.
