Helicopter Plunges Straight into River in New York, All Passengers Dead, Half are Children

A horrifying helicopter crash occurred at around 3:15 PM local time on April 10, claiming the lives of all 6 six people on board. In particular, the victims were a family from Spain — including 3 children, 2 adults, and the pilot. The tourist helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan, New York City.

Video footage from the scene shows the helicopter “flying erratically” just before the crash, with debris scattering in all directions. According to one witness, his child asked if it was an earthquake after hearing a loud explosion, stating, “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. The helicopter hit the water at an incredibly fast speed.”

Meanwhile, another witness who was walking her dog, recalled seeing flashing rescue lights across the river and watching the helicopter sink. “’I saw the helicopter submerge in the water and then there was a-lot of commotion,” she said.

According to media outlet CNN, at the time of the crash, it was cloudy with winds around 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. There was also light rain in the region.

Addressing the tragic accident in a public statement, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard. All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased.’

Meanwhile, Flight Radar data suggested that the helicopter was possibly a Bell 206L-4, registration number N216MH. It remains unclear whether the aircraft was part of a commercial tour service or privately owned, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Airspace around Manhattan is known to be busy with helicopters operating for tourism, business, and personal travel. The city is equipped with numerous heliports frequently used by executives and tourists.

Since 1977, at least 32 people have died in helicopter crashes in New York City. The most recent prior incident occurred in 2018, when a helicopter crashed into the East River, killing five passengers. The NTSB later reported the accident was caused by the tail of the aircraft snagging on a fuel shutoff lever, causing loss of control and passenger drownings.