A helicopter carrying six tourists and one pilot to get a birds-eye view of the New York City skyline crashed into the East River just after takeoff. All seven people on board survived the crash although one is in a coma and listed in critical condition. The crash took place at approximately 1:30 PM New York time on a hot, humid but sunny day in the Big Apple.
'We'll have some tourists who will certainly have a story to tell when they get home,' Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the Associated Press.
The rescue was helped by the fact that harbor police units were already out conducting a drill at the time.
The mayor also indicated that the pilot of the Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopter handled things well after hearing a loud bang just after takeoff.
The pilot then helped activate floatation devices after the plane landed and led his passengers to safety.
The one woman in critical condition almost drowned before being rescued from the helicopter. She is in a medically induced coma at a Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan according to published reports. The other five passengers all suffered minor injuries. Four of them were also sent to Bellevue while the remaining two were sent to New York University Downtown Medical Center.
The helicopter was operated by Helicopter Flight Service which has no previous record of accidents. The copter is 28-years-old.
Local authorities are investigating the cause of the accident which is not yet known. When the copter was finally removed from the water, it's tail, windows and propeller were broken although it is not clear if that occurred before it hit the water or because of the impact of the crash.
