New York City – A sightseeing helicopter carrying six people, including three children, plunged into the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, leaving no survivors, according to law enforcement sources.
The aircraft, identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a Bell 206 helicopter, had been in the air for roughly 15 minutes before disaster struck. Among the victims were a pilot and a family of five—two adults and three children—who were tourists visiting from Spain.
Disturbing eyewitness accounts and video footage captured the moments leading up to the crash, showing the helicopter missing both its tail rotor and one of its main rotor blades before plummeting at a steep angle into the frigid waters near the New Jersey side of the Hudson.
“I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river,” said Dani Horbiak, who witnessed the crash from her apartment window.
“It was like watching it fall out of the sky,” added Eric Campoverde, another bystander. “It went down at a 45-degree angle. Big splash — it was very scary.”
A third witness described the impact as a “sonic boom” and said he saw the helicopter “splitting in two with the rotor flying off.” Another reported that “one propeller broke into pieces” midair.
The crash occurred during the helicopter’s sixth flight of the day. When emergency responders arrived, the aircraft was found submerged and upside-down in water temperatures hovering around 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Jersey City Police have taken the lead in the investigation, as the crash occurred closer to the New Jersey shoreline. Mayor Steven Fulop confirmed the city’s involvement and voiced renewed concern over the volume and safety of low-flying aircraft in the Hudson River corridor.
“We’ve raised issues before about the air traffic over the Hudson,” Fulop said. “We hope this tragedy forces a closer look at those concerns.”
The incident raises fresh questions about helicopter tourism safety and the oversight of commercial flight operations in one of the busiest airspaces in the country.
Investigators are expected to work closely with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA to determine what caused the fatal mechanical failure.
Credit: ABC News
