Image above show rescuer pulling up corpses from Hudson River.Believed upto 9 may have dead from the mid air collisions.
Rescue looking for debris , survivors and corpses.
Fox show the footing of the occurs.The plane hit the back of the helicopter.
Map above show the location of the midair accidents.
Police and emergency crews continued their search for wreckage and bodies in the Hudson River a day after a small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter carrying a group of Italian tourists, apparently killing nine people.
![[SB124975510036816833]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-EF354_crash0_D_20090808205048.jpg)
Based on preliminary eyewitness reports of the low-altitude crash, which occurred in good weather, officials said the single-engine propeller plane apparently smashed into the rear of the helicopter as the two aircraft were flying in the same direction, scattering debris in the river and on the New Jersey waterfront. The accident took place in a narrow corridor over the river reserved for general aviation and other aircraft operating under visual flight rules -- and no requirement to communicate with air-traffic controllers.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg described the crash as "not survivable.'' Three bodies and helicopter wreckage were recovered before search efforts were halted for the night Saturday. Three hours after the crash, which took place around noon, the National Transportation Safety Board was on scene to direct the investigation. Investigators resumed their search at daybreak Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
Six people were on board the helicopter which plummeted into the river. Three people were believed to have been travelling in the plane
Cause of Accident
Mayor Bloomberg emphasized during a news conference that both aircraft were flying under so-called "see and avoid" rules that don't require monitoring by controllers despite the surrounding busy airspace and several major airports in the vicinity. "This could have happened over a cornfield as well as the Hudson River," he said.
Commercial and private jets are restricted from flying at such low altitudes. They follow takeoff and approach routes to metropolitan airports that take them well above the visual-flight corridor over the Hudson.
Hudson River corridor is a popular shortcut for northbound and southbound flights to and from New England. "It's scenic too," which helps make the fly zone a busy area. Complicating matters, while airplanes must fly along the river, helicopters, which aren't bound by the same rules, might cross it.
Helicopter pilots and others who frequently fly the Hudson sightseeing route—which keeps them under 1,000 feet--rely on special procedures, including broadcasting on and monitoring a dedicated radio frequency designed to make pilots aware of nearby traffic. Such transmissions are recommended but aren't required. It isn't clear whether the small plane's pilot was using the special frequency.
Witness Accounts
Witnesses to the crash described how debris from the two aircraft disappeared within seconds beneath the water's surface, and rescue workers soon determined that there were no survivors, officials said.
According to eye-witness reports, it appeared that the helicopter had just taken off from a mid-town helipad and turned south down the river when the plane smashed into it, shearing off a rotor. Both aircraft shed debris as they plummeted into the water.
There were unconfirmed reports that the plane may have lost part of a wing just before the smash. It had taken off from Teterboro, a private airport in New Jersey, a few minutes earlier
"It would appear that the airplane ran into the backside of the helicopter," Bloomberg(New York Mayor) said, saying the precise cause of the collision may not be known for days or weeks, pending an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The helicopter belonged to Liberty Harbour Sightseeing Tours which runs popular aerial tours of major New York landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty. The weather conditions were clear and calm at the time of the crash just before midday.
The Hoboken all-stars girls soccer team was in the middle of practice on Saturday when the goalie looked up and saw two aircraft flying into each other in the clear skies overhead.\
-Youth soccer coach Leo Pellegrini, orange shirt, is surrounded by reporters as he recounts his views the horrifying crash.-
"There was a big cracking sound and the propeller from the helicopter flew off and the plane's wing broke off," 12-year-old Marina Wardell said.
"The plane was swirling and landed a little bit aways. The helicopter went head first and plunged into the water.
"Then, like five seconds later, it sunk. It was like it was from a movie! It was shocking to see it actually happening."
For a moment, the dozen girls scattered across Sinatra Soccer Field cowered, fearing they were going to be hit by debris.
Then, when it was clear they were safe, they ran over to the fence along the river and pressed up against it, craning to see if anyone survived.
"I just saw the pieces floating around. It happened really fast. I didn't see anyone," Marina said.
On the other side of the sparkling, crowded river, Jahangir Alam was selling empanadas and sodas at a Hudson River Park refreshment stand.
"The plane and the helicopter were flying at each other and they turned away not to crash. But the plane hit the back of the helicopter," said Alam, 49, a Bangladeshi immigrant who lives in Queens.
"My first thought was, 'someone save the people.'"
At a cafe on Little W. 12th St., Alanna Duffy, 29, saw huge chunks of mangled aircraft falling across the sky.
"I just saw the propeller twisting through the air," she said. "The body was doing a nosedive. It went right in the water."
Retired machinist Gabriel Stise, 78, was eating lunch on a shady riverside bench in Hoboken when the plane went over his head.
"It didn't sound right. It was loud. It was very low," he said.
"It came down and just sank. I didn't see anyone in the water. They must have gone down with it. There's so much room up there. How could this happen?"
Nearby, Hilda Igartua, 53, sat in her wheelchair talking on the phone as her husband, Angel Vacqez, 50, fished happily.
"I saw the plane hit the helicopter," she said.
"The helicopter went spinning down, breaking into pieces. I saw debris falling everywhere. My husband got scared and pushed me back. He was screaming."
"It sounded like putting a fork in a blender, but louder, like fireworks," said Grendaly Torres, who was helping her mother sell jewelry in the park.
Past Accidents
In October 2006, a private plane that took off from Teterboro ended up flying into a high-rise apartment building along Manhattan's East River. New York Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor were killed in the crash and it seriously injured one person on the ground. In the wake of that accident, authorities restricted private planes from flying certain routes over the East River.
Seven months ago, the same river was the scene of a spectacular aircraft accident that resulted in no loss of life. In January, a US Airways flight taking off from LaGuardia Airport slammed into a flock of birds and lost power in both engines. The plane crash-landed in the Hudson River, roughly half a mile from Saturday's crash, and all 155 people on board were pulled to safety.
Two years ago, a Liberty helicopter fell 500 feet from the sky into the same river during a sightseeing trip. The pilot was credited with safely landing the chopper on the water and helping evacuate her seven passengers.
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--NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Statement On Helicopter & Small Plane [Piper PA-32] Crash Over New York City's Hudson River --
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