An active investigation is unfolding after a helicopter took off in New York City and crashed into the Hudson River, killing all six people on board.
While the cause of the crash has not been determined, CBS News New York’s Dan Rice, who reports from Chopper 2 and flies over the river daily, says eyewitness accounts and video point to a “catastrophic failure of the aircraft.”
Witnesses saw helicopter spinning before crash
Some witnesses said they heard an explosion and saw the helicopter spinning. One described hearing a loud noise, “like thunder,” then seeing “black particles flying” through the air.
“Booms and noises like that indicate some sort of mechanical issue,” Rice said. “There’s one video in particular where you see the main component of the helicopter, the fuselage, upside down. And what struck me, what scared me, is the main rotor system was gone. There’s no main rotor on the helicopter and the tail boom was also gone, and it’s just a vessel at that point with no direction.”
Chopper 2 is the same model helicopter as the one that plunged into the Hudson River with a family of five tourists from Spain and a pilot on board Thursday. Rice said the video of the crash appeared to show the rotor system was lost before the helicopter hit the water.
“I can’t say that I’ve ever seen an incident where such a major component of the helicopter has separated with no other aircraft or some other component hitting it. So I can’t even begin to imagine, if this is true, how they would have lost the main rotor system,” he said.
While there is still a lot for investigators to confirm, Rice said that could explain why witnesses reported seeing the helicopter spinning.
“I’m not a pilot, I’m the reporter and the camera operator. But what I can tell you is the tail rotor is what keeps the helicopter from spinning out of control. That’s your anchor, so to speak, that keeps the helicopter from being a top,” he said. “If there’s a problem with the helicopter, it can glide down to the river. But that’s coming off of the main rotor blade. If they’re separated, there’s no control of the vessel. It’s just going to end up the way we saw it, unfortunately.”
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash. The Coast Guard also established a safety zone in the Hudson River.
Mark PrussinMark Prussin is a digital producer at CBS New York. He covers breaking news, sports, politics and trending stories in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Mark joined the CBS New York team in 2019.
