Tue, Oct 04, 2011
One Fatally Injured In East River Helo Accident
ANN Realtime Update 10.04.2011 2100 EDT
One person was fatally injured in an accident in which a Bell
206B went down in New York's East River Tuesday. NYPD divers
recovered the body of a women from the aircraft in about 50 feet of
water.
Bell 206 File Photo
Three passengers and the pilot were pulled from the water
shortly after the accident. The two women were in critical
condition, and all were hospitalized.
USA today reports that witnesses said they head the helicopter
sputtering and that it appeared to be in some mechanical distress
before it went down in the river. One told the paper that he was
watching the helicopter take off when it began spinning and "it
just went down." An earlier report from an NYPD official indicated
the aircraft was landing when the accident occurred.
ABC News reports that the woman who was fatally injured had been
celebrating her birthday. She has been identified as Sonia Marra
Nicholson. The other people on board were her mother and
stepfather, as well as her partner Helen Tamaski.
Original Story
Sightseeing Helo Had Five People Aboard
A Bell 206 carrying four passengers on a sightseeing tour has
gone down in the East River in New York. All five people have
reportedly been extracted from the aircraft.
Television station WNYW reports that witnesses said the
helicopter was only about 25 feet in the air when it started to
"spin out of control" and impacted the water. The accident happened
about 3:32 EDT. An NYPD spokesperson said that the aircraft "missed
its landing" and did not quite make the helipad on the river's
bank.
WCBS reports that two female passengers were transported to
Bellevue Hospital, while one of the males was taken to NYU Medical
Center. Another man was treated at the scene, and the condition of
the third woman on board was not known. The helo was submerged
upside down when the rescuers arrived on the scene.
FAA records indicate the 1976 Bell 206B was registered to Paul
Dudley of Linden, NJ. AirNav lists Dudley as the manager of Linden
Municipal Airport (KLDJ).
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a Go-Team
to investigate the accident. Senior Air Safety Investigator Ralph
Hicks will serve as Investigator-in-Charge for the team. NTSB
Member Mark Rosekind is accompanying the team to New York and will
serve as principal spokesman for the on-scene investigation.
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