“Our hearts go out to the family of those who were onboard,” said New York City mayor Eric Adams after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in the city on Thursday, killing all six people onboard, including the pilot and a family of Spanish tourists with three children.
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The sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside down between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront shortly after 3pm ET, leading to a huge response from emergency crews.
Videos posted on social media showed the aircraft mostly submerged, upside down in the water, and rescue vehicles crowding on to the streets on shore as emergency workers raced to save those onboard.
The cause of the crash is not yet known but over the years, there have been multiple crashes in the skies over Manhattan, which are routinely filled with both planes and helicopters, including private recreational aircraft and commercial and tourist flights.
Prior incidents include a collision in 2009 when a tour helicopter and a small private airplane collided over the Hudson River, killing nine people. In 2018, a sightseeing helicopter offering “open door” flights went down into the East River, killing five people. New York City banned open-door helicopter flights following the crash.
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