Article Pub: Helicopter crashes in East River with five people trapped inside

A frantic mayday call has revealed that the fatal helicopter crash in New York City‘s East River was preceded by an engine failure.

The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350, crashed into the water on Sunday night at around 7pm near East 90th Street and Roosevelt Island, closer to the Manhattan bank.

The pilot escaped the crash but five passengers were trapped inside, unable to escape from their harnesses as the helicopter flipped sank, police said.

Two passengers were dead at the scene and three were transported to the hospital in critical condition, said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

The helicopter was operated by Fly Liberty Charter, and had been privately booked for a photo shoot at the time of the crash, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said at a press conference.

By about 9pm the helicopter had been towed to shore and all of the victims had been removed from the water.

The incident began shortly before 7pm, when the helicopter took off from New Jersey and flew past the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor before heading north up the East River and crashing just short of Roosevelt Island, according to Flight Radar.

The flight lasted 11 minutes.

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LAST FLIGHT: A photographer captured this image of the sightseeing helicopter just before it took off on the fatal flight. It is unclear whether those pictured were on board for the crash

FINAL MOMENTS: Photographer Eric Adams captured this picture of the helicopter that crashed just minutes before it went down in the East River

MINUTES FROM DISASTER: The doomed helicopter is seen taking a turn around New York Harbor before heading up the East River, according to Adams

A map shows the flight path of the sightseeing chopper as it took off from New Jersey, flew over the harbor, and crashed in the East River. The flight lasted 11 minutes

Passengers of the crashed helicopter are rushed to ambulances at the 34th Street dock area

Three passengers in critical condition were rushed to hospitals from the 34th St dock

Three passengers were transported to hospitals in critical condition, officials said

Emergency crews are seen transporting multiple victims from the crash

‘Mayday mayday,’ the pilot called to air traffic control, according to recordings of emergency radio traffic.

‘You ok?’ responded controllers at LaGuardia.

‘Engine failure… We’ve got an engine failure over the East River,’ the pilot said.

‘Ok, do you require any assistance?’ a controller responds, apparently not grasping the gravity of the situation.

‘It was a mayday call, LaGuardia!’ someone responds over the channel.

Footage from the moment of the crash shows the helicopter descending upright onto the water as if to land.

The red chopper hits the water and then begins to flip within seconds, its blades striking the river as it turned upside down.

Witnesses said the chopper sank beneath the water within minutes.

‘The moment we saw it land, it was under, basically,’ one witness said of seeing the helicopter sink.

‘It just flipped over and there was a whole minute where no one came out,’ another said.

‘Then we saw a yellow raft and a person on top of it screaming and yelling for help,’ the first witness continued.

One person who escaped from the crash was picked up by a tugboat, sources said.

This map shows the approximate location of the helicopter crash into the East River

Rescue units are seen staging by the East River after a tour helicopter crashed

Emergency responders on the scene after a helicopter crashed into the East River in New York

Spectators line the East River in Manhattan, New York following a helicopter crash on Sunday

An FDNY marine unit heads north on the East River in Manhattan to respond to a helicopter crash on Sunday

This image made from video provided by the New York City Police Department shows the scene of a helicopter crash in the East River in New York on Sunday

News cameras captured a man being led away from the river under assistance from first responders. He was believed to be the pilot of the chopper.

FDNY and NYPD Special Operations marine units had rushed to the scene to attempt rescue by around 7.20pm.

The five passengers had to be cut from their harnesses by rescue divers after the plane flipped in the frigid waters, officials said.

‘One of the most difficult parts of the operation we’re told was the five people, besides the pilot, were all tightly harnessed,’ said Commissioner Nigro. ‘So these harnesses had to be cut and removed in order to get these folks off of this helicopter.’

By around 8.15pm word came that all five victims had been removed from the helicopter. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and the other three were rushed to shore in critical condition.

Photos from the 34th Street Heliport show the unconscious survivors on stretchers as paramedics perform CPR as they rush toward waiting ambulances.

The downed chopper was towed to the 23rd Street seaplane dock to be pulled from the water.

Passengers of the crashed helicoptor are rushed to ambulances at the 34th Street dock area

First responders return to shore after responding to a helicopter crash in the East River

Officials are seen walking with body bags at the 34th St Seaport. Two passengers were declared dead at the scene, and three were transported with critical injuries

The downed chopper was towed to the 23rd Street seaplane dock dock in Manhattan

Fire crews are seen returning to shore after a massive rescue response to a helicopter crash

An FDNY rescue diver is hosed off with fresh water after pulling victims from a submerged helicopter after it crashed into the East River

Firefighters spray down an FDNY diver after he responded to the crash in the East River

Marine units are seen on the East River on Sunday night looking east toward Queens

Images from the scene show the helicopter totally submerged and rescue units on the river

In a statement, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was monitoring the situation.

‘Our thoughts and hope for safe recovery are with those who were aboard. We are thankful for our first responders at the scene,’ Cuomo said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the helicopter was a Eurocopter AS350.

The FAA said that the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the crash.

The northbound lane of the FDR was shut down during the rescue effort.

The skies over New York constantly buzz with helicopters carrying tourists, businesspeople, traffic reporters, medical teams and others. Crashes are not uncommon.

A crash in October 2011 in the East River killed a British woman visiting the city for her 40th birthday. Three other passengers were injured.

A helicopter on a sightseeing tour of Manhattan crashed into the Hudson River in July 2007, shaking up the eight people aboard but injuring no one.

In June 2005, two helicopters crashed into the East River in the same week.

One injured eight people including some banking executives. The other hit the water shortly after takeoff on a sightseeing flight, injuring six tourists and the pilot.