Chopper Down

[Skidz]

Chopper crashes near Wall Street

 

 

A Helicopter carrying seven tourists goes down in the East River; all rescued.

June 14, 2005: 2:39 PM EDT

 

NEW YORK (CNN) - A helicopter with seven international tourists aboard crashed into the East River near the Wall Street area of lower Manhattan Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

 

All seven had been rescued and were out of the water, according to police, fire and Federal Aviation Administration officials.

 

The passengers included tourists from Australia and France, said New York Police spokesman Detective Walter Burnes.

 

The New York Fire Department said all seven had been taken to Manhattan hospitals. Federal transportation officials said none of the injuries were life threatening.

 

The police department said its harbor units responded to the crash scene, rescued the people aboard and towed the helicopter to a pier.

 

The crash occurred just off Pier 11 near the Wall Street helipad.

 

CNN affiliate WABC aerials showed the helicopter flipped over and submerged near the pier.

 

 

 

By the looks of it, the pop-out floats didn't do the job...

[transquebecniece]

Was a Bell 206. This from the Boston Globe just one hour ago:

 

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles...c_copter_crash/

[justfly]

Tourist Helicopter Crashes in NYC; 1 Critically Hurt (Update2)

 

June 14 (Bloomberg) -- A helicopter carrying sightseers from Australia and France crashed in New York's East River off lower Manhattan today, police said. One person was reported critically injured.

 

The helicopter went down about 1:30 p.m., shortly after it lifted off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, said Tiffany Townsend, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the facility. The heliport is on a pier at the foot of Wall Street, southwest of the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

All seven people aboard were rescued within one to two minutes, Townsend said. The passengers were tourists from Australia and France, New York police spokesman Chris Filipazzo said.

 

One person was critically injured, U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Tom Staats said.

 

The helicopter, a Bell 206L LongRanger, was operated by New York-based Helicopter Flight Services, said Lauren Peduzzi, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which will investigate the incident.

 

The company's Web site advertises three tours, ranging from the 15 to 30 minutes, for between $129 and $275 a person.

 

The aircraft, which remained afloat though upside down after the crash, was raised from the water by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

 

The heliport handled 19,740 flights with 52,329 passengers in the 12 months ending March 31, according to port authority records.

 

To contact the reporter on this story:

David M. Levitt in New York at dlevitt@bloomberg.net;

 

Last Updated: June 14, 2005 17:02 EDT

 

Helicopter Flight Services <---- link

[transquebecniece]

Sadly, methinks they'll be changing that lead-in intro on their website and promo materials real soon. Hope the one in the hospital pulls through.

[Elvis]

Another link

 

opps didn't work

[Elvis]

One more try

 

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8219502/

[justfly]

another link with video:

Helicopter Crashes Into Water Near Pier 11

 

Blood Pressure WARNING! - amongst the hype and sensation the reporter states this "Bell 208 LongRanger" was only certified for 5 passengers and so speculates wildly that it was over crowded. :down: Too bad - I don't recall the tour helicopter that deployed floats, landed successfully and stayed upright under the Golden Gate Bridge in rough sea state until all were rescued garnering as much media attention!

 

On the other hand, the mayor's and police commissioner's comments are nicely tempered.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FAA Registry

N-Number Inquiry Results

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

N78TD is Assigned

 

Assigned/Registered Aircraft

 

Aircraft Description

 

Serial Number 45090 Type Registration Corporation

Manufacturer Name BELL Certificate Issue Date 10/01/1996

Model 206L Status Valid

Type Aircraft Rotorcraft Type Engine Turbo-Shaft

Pending Number Change None Dealer No

Date Change Authorized None Mode S Code 52507732

MFR Year 1977 Fractional Owner NO

 

Registered Owner

 

Name HELICOPTER PROFESSIONALS INC

Street 1086 MANOR LN

City BAY SHORE State NEW YORK Zip Code 11706-6223

County SUFFOLK

Country UNITED STATES

 

Airworthiness

 

Engine Manufacturer ALLISON Classification Standard

Engine Model 250 SER 400HP Category Normal

 

A/W Date 04/20/1977

[cap]

If someone's going to have a problem like that, then they couldn't have chosen a better place to do so.

[justfly]

some media is also reporting "The helicopter did a 360-degree roll before the pilot put the six-passenger helicopter down in the water, deployed its flotation devices and helped the tourists to safety."

 

Geez I sure hope they mispoke and it did a 360 spin - not roll! Or they better be trading those paxs new undies for their "sucked up" seat cushions! :shock:

[tDawe]

By the looks of it, the pop-out floats didn't do the job...

 

The airframe is boyant for recovery, and everyone is out alive. I'd say the pop-outs performed their job to perfection.