New aerial video footage released by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) shows the moments after a tour helicopter crashed into the Hudson River last week, killing six people, including three children.
Aerial videos of the April 10 response show divers jumping into the murky water from NYPD boats and wading toward the mangled aircraft.
The Bell 206 L-4 helicopter floated upside down as divers worked to recover the pilot and five passengers, including Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three young children.
6 DEAD, INCLUDING 3 CHILDREN, AFTER HELICOPTER PLUMMETS IN HUDSON RIVER
During a news conference Wednesday, officials said the NYPD diving unit was searching for a missing person in the river, contributing to its quick response to the Jersey City, New Jersey, coastline.
“The call came over, and we headed to the helicopter crash as quickly as possible,” said NYPD Scuba Unit Officer Joseph Frevola. “We were there in about eight to 10 minutes.”
‘EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE’ AS NTSB INVESTIGATES DEADLY HUDSON RIVER TOUR HELICOPTER CRASH
Though weather conditions during the rescue were not favorable, Frevola said the team was focused on finding the tail and main rotors of the aircraft to aid in the investigation.
“The current had flipped and [weather conditions were] pretty bad,” he said. “We were horizontal, holding on to the helicopter, as we were rigging it up to hook up to the crane.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced Saturday the aircraft was not equipped with any flight recorders, leaving many questions unanswered.
No onboard video recorders or camera recorders were recovered, and none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used by authorities to determine the cause of the crash.
NTSB FINDS TOUR HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED INTO HUDSON RIVER WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH ANY FLIGHT RECORDERS
Divers were able to find the main fuselage, including the cockpit and cabin, the forward portion of the tail boom, horizontal stabilizer finlets and vertical fin, according to the NTSB.
Investigators are continuing to search for wreckage using side-scanning sonar.
The helicopter’s operator, New York Helicopter Charter Inc., reported the aircraft was last inspected March 1 and completed seven tour flights prior to the wreck.
Authorities are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
