There was a scary moment for Governor Cuomo and some of his staff after his State Police helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in the Hudson Valley. State House Reporter Zack Fink has more.
After concluding his final State of the State address at the SUNY campus in Albany, Governor Cuomo boarded a State Police helicopter bound for New York City.
But about midway through the flight, just before 4 p.m., Cuomo, two members of his staff and a State trooper smelled a strong odor of smoke filling into the cabin. The pilot was notified and opted to make an emergency landing at Stewart Airport in Newburgh.
No one was injured.
Shortly after the incident, Cuomo's official twitter account sent out the following message:
3 days, 6 States of the State, 149 proposals, 9 hours of speeches, 1,260 miles & 1 emergency landing. Nothing can slow our progress.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 11, 2017
But there is more to the story. Last fall, the State Police attempted to purchase a new helicopter for the governor. Currently, Cuomo is ferried around the state on a Bell 430. The police wanted to upgrade to a Sikorsky S76-D, which has a longer range and is slightly faster.
The new helicopter was expected to be used for law-enforcement operations and flying the Governor. But, last month the $12.5 million purchase was blocked by the state comptroller's office, which claimed it was unclear how the interior could be modified for other missions.
Cuomo has clashed with comptroller Tom DiNapoli on several issues over the last few years, including state audits.
The state police say they haven't upgraded their fleet in fifteen years. And according to the governor's office this is not the first time the helicopter has been forced to make an emergency landing. The comptroller's office had no comment.