Police boat by the helicopter held above water in the East River KEYSTONE / FR170905 AP / ANDRES KUDACKI sda-ats
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–This content was published on March 12, 2018 – 7:31 am
(Keystone-SDA)
When a helicopter crashed into the East River in New York, all five passengers were killed. The pilot was able to free himself in time and survived the accident between the districts of Manhattan and Queens.
According to the Reuters news agency, the police announced the deaths of all five passengers after it was initially reported that three people had survived the crash on Sunday evening (local time) seriously injured. The pilot, who was able to save himself from the helicopter, was in good shape, the police said.
The five passengers had been rescued from the East River by rescue divers. They should have been released from the seat belts, it said. According to official information, the passengers had chartered the machine for a private photo shoot.
An eyewitness video shows the helicopter losing altitude above the river, landing on the water and then tilting sideways with the rotor still turning.
According to the flight control authority FAA, the Eurocopter “AS350” was upside down in the water after the crash. The police and fire brigade were on duty with boats and divers. The NTSB has to investigate exactly how the accident happened.
“Flown towards the water at full speed”
“We were at dinner when we saw a red helicopter flying towards the water at full speed,” eyewitness Arineh Nazarian told ABC7. “It looked very surreal (…), and then it crashed completely and sank.”
Helicopters regularly fly over the metropolis. However, tourist flights are only permitted over the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey. Private charter flights, for example to John F. Kennedy Airport or on to Long Island, also fly over the East River on the east side of Manhattan. In addition, helicopters from the police, fire brigade and news broadcasters are in use.
A similarly serious accident last occurred in New York in August 2009 when a helicopter collided with a small plane over the Hudson River. Nine people died, including five Italian tourists. In a crash in October 2011, four occupants were rescued from the machine in the East River.
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