The pilot of the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing him and five passengers, was originally from the Chicago suburbs. Sean Johnson, 36, was identified as the pilot of the aircraft that plunged into the river Thursday afternoon.

A sightseeing helicopter plunged from the sky into the Hudson River on Thursday, turning a family outing above Manhattan’s misty skyline into a tragedy.

There was a close call in 2013, when another helicopter suddenly lost power in midair and the pilot maneuvered it to a safe landing on pontoons in the Hudson. And in the last eight years, the company has been through a bankruptcy and faces ongoing lawsuits over alleged debts.