The previous time it was lucky that pilot water landed without fatality. But this time no luck.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_hudso...lYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3BsYW5lY29wdGVyYw--
Plane, copter collide over Hudson, killing one
AP
Emergency workers are seen looking for debris in the Hudson River Saturday, Aug. AP – Emergency workers are seen looking for debris in the Hudson River Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, after a small …
* Helicopter, small plane collide over Hudson Slideshow:Helicopter, small plane collide over Hudson
By VERENA DOBNIK, Associated Press Writer Verena Dobnik, Associated Press Writer – 2 mins ago
NEW YORK – A small plane carrying three people collided with a tour helicopter carrying about a half-dozen people Saturday, sending debris into the Hudson River and onto the Hoboken, N.J., waterfront.
Two officials at New York City emergency response agencies said at least one person was confirmed dead and they knew of no one being rescued. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak before Mayor Michael Bloomberg gives an expected mid-afternoon media briefing.
The accident happened just after noon between Manhattan and Hoboken on a crystal clear summer day.
The plane, a Piper PA-32, took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, and the helicopter was a Eurocopter AS 350 owned by Liberty Tours, a sightseeing and charter company, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The plane was headed to Ocean City, N.J., with three people aboard, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said. The helicopter had just taken off from a heliport on Manhattan's West side and it was believed to be carrying five passengers and one crew member, he said.
Emergency crews were on both sides of the river and police divers were in the water.
People who saw the crash and its aftermath described the two aircraft colliding not far from the Hoboken shoreline, and said the impact sheared off the plane's wing.
"There was a loud pop, almost like a car backfire," said Buzz Nahas, who saw the crash from Hoboken. "The helicopter dropped like a rock."
Katie Tanski, of Hoboken, heard the noise of the collision, looked up and saw chaos in the air.
"We saw the helicopter propellers fly all over," she said. Some pieces of the wreckage fell on land, sending Tanski and others scurrying for cover.
Seven months ago, the same river was the scene of a spectacular aircraft accident that resulted in no loss of life. In January, a US Airways flight taking off from LaGuardia Airport slammed into a flock of birds and lost power in both engines. The plane crash-landed in the Hudson River, and all 155 people on board were pulled to safety.
A person who answered the phone at a Liberty Tours office declined to comment on the accident, but said the company would be releasing a statement. The company runs sightseeing excursions around the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan at costs ranging from $130 to about $1,000.
Two years ago, a Liberty helicopter fell 500 feet from the sky during a sightseeing trip. The pilot was credited with safely landing the chopper in the Hudson and helping evacuate her seven passengers.
In 1997, a rotor on one of its sightseeing helicopters clipped a Manhattan building, forcing an emergency landing. No one was hurt.
___
Associated Press writers David B. Caruso and Colleen Long contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_hudso...lYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3BsYW5lY29wdGVyYw--
Plane, copter collide over Hudson, killing one
AP
Emergency workers are seen looking for debris in the Hudson River Saturday, Aug. AP – Emergency workers are seen looking for debris in the Hudson River Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, after a small …
* Helicopter, small plane collide over Hudson Slideshow:Helicopter, small plane collide over Hudson
By VERENA DOBNIK, Associated Press Writer Verena Dobnik, Associated Press Writer – 2 mins ago
NEW YORK – A small plane carrying three people collided with a tour helicopter carrying about a half-dozen people Saturday, sending debris into the Hudson River and onto the Hoboken, N.J., waterfront.
Two officials at New York City emergency response agencies said at least one person was confirmed dead and they knew of no one being rescued. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak before Mayor Michael Bloomberg gives an expected mid-afternoon media briefing.
The accident happened just after noon between Manhattan and Hoboken on a crystal clear summer day.
The plane, a Piper PA-32, took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, and the helicopter was a Eurocopter AS 350 owned by Liberty Tours, a sightseeing and charter company, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The plane was headed to Ocean City, N.J., with three people aboard, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said. The helicopter had just taken off from a heliport on Manhattan's West side and it was believed to be carrying five passengers and one crew member, he said.
Emergency crews were on both sides of the river and police divers were in the water.
People who saw the crash and its aftermath described the two aircraft colliding not far from the Hoboken shoreline, and said the impact sheared off the plane's wing.
"There was a loud pop, almost like a car backfire," said Buzz Nahas, who saw the crash from Hoboken. "The helicopter dropped like a rock."
Katie Tanski, of Hoboken, heard the noise of the collision, looked up and saw chaos in the air.
"We saw the helicopter propellers fly all over," she said. Some pieces of the wreckage fell on land, sending Tanski and others scurrying for cover.
Seven months ago, the same river was the scene of a spectacular aircraft accident that resulted in no loss of life. In January, a US Airways flight taking off from LaGuardia Airport slammed into a flock of birds and lost power in both engines. The plane crash-landed in the Hudson River, and all 155 people on board were pulled to safety.
A person who answered the phone at a Liberty Tours office declined to comment on the accident, but said the company would be releasing a statement. The company runs sightseeing excursions around the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan at costs ranging from $130 to about $1,000.
Two years ago, a Liberty helicopter fell 500 feet from the sky during a sightseeing trip. The pilot was credited with safely landing the chopper in the Hudson and helping evacuate her seven passengers.
In 1997, a rotor on one of its sightseeing helicopters clipped a Manhattan building, forcing an emergency landing. No one was hurt.
___
Associated Press writers David B. Caruso and Colleen Long contributed to this report.
