Five die in NY chopper crash

ON PRIVATE CHARTER ‘PHOTO SHOOT’ Pilot the only survivor after going down in freezing East River.

Ahelicopter carrying six people crashed in New York City’s East River on Sunday, killing all passengers, while the pilot survived, police said. Moments before it crashed into the frigid waters, the pilot frantically radioed for help, the New York Daily News and other media reported.

“Mayday, mayday, mayday,” the pilot said, according to news accounts. “Engine failure. We’ve got an engine failure over the East River.”

Two of the five passengers died at the scene and three were taken to two area hospitals where they later died, New York City police and fire department officials confirmed early yesterday.

The pilot freed himself and was rescued and later treated and released in good condition from a hospital, police said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Eurocopter AS350 went down near the northern end of Roosevelt Island at about 7pm.

The National Transportation Safety Board said yesterday its team of experts was investigating the accident.

“It’s a great tragedy,” said New York fire commissioner Daniel Nigro at a press conference late on Sunday. “It took a while for the divers to get these people out.”

Nigro said when the divers reached the helicopter it was inverted and in 50 feet (15 metres) of water with near zero degrees celcius water temperatures and 6.5 kilometre an hour currents.

The passengers were tightly harnessed and the harnesses had to be cut and removed to free the passengers in the helicopter, he added.

New York City police commissioner James O’Neill said the aircraft was registered to Liberty Helicopters, a sightseeing and charter service in New York, and was on a private charter “photo shoot.”–