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.

FMI: www.nyc.gov/nypd, www.ntsb.gov