Bag may have hit fuel switch before copter crash in N.Y. river

NEW YORK — The pilot who survived a helicopter crash that killed his five passengers told investigators he believed a passenger’s bag might have hit an emergency fuel shutoff switch in the moments before the chopper went down, a federal official told The Associated Press on Monday.

The official said the National Transportation Safety Board also is scrutinizing why a flotation device apparently didn’t deploy properly when the tour helicopter went down in the East River. The floats are supposed keep a helicopter upright; the Eurocopter AS350 that crashed Sunday overturned and sank.

The crash killed a Texas firefighter, an Argentine woman, a video journalist and two others on what authorities said was a charter flight to take photos.