A helicopter plunged into the Hudson River just off Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, killing all six people on board, law enforcement sources confirmed.
The crash, which occurred near Pier 40 around 3:17 p.m., involved a Bell 206 helicopter carrying a pilot and five passengers, including two adults and three children believed to be tourists from Spain, according to ABC News.
The New York Police Department reported the incident shortly after emergency crews rushed to the scene near the West Side Highway and Spring Street. Witness video footage shows the chopper spiraling into the 50-degree water, its tail rotor and main rotor blade missing as it struck the river upside-down.
“I was walking by and the helicopter went down at a 45-degree angle,” witness Eric Campoverde told ABC. “Big splash — it was very scary.”
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a Bell 206, which had departed from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m. and lost radar contact by 3:25 p.m. Rescue boats circled the submerged wreckage, but no survivors were found. The New York Fire Department and Coast Guard assisted in recovery efforts, which unfolded closer to the Jersey City side of the river.
This tragedy marks another grim chapter in New York City’s history of aviation accidents.
In 2009, a midair collision between a plane and a tourist helicopter over the Hudson killed nine people, per AP News. Thursday’s crash reignites concerns over the safety of low-altitude flights in the busy airspace above Manhattan, a hub for tourist and commercial helicopter traffic.
Authorities have not released the victims’ identities pending family notification. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash, with preliminary reports expected in the coming weeks.