Hudson River crash: Helicopter’s ‘blade flew off’ with 5 onboard – New details emerge

Apr 11, 2025 02:06 AM IST

A Bell 206L helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in Manhattan on Thursday

A Bell 206L helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in Manhattan on Thursday. The New York Post cited law enforcement sources to report that there were five people on board the chopper. All of them have been pulled from the water; though their condition is unknown. A local told NBC News that he saw the helicopter’s ‘blade fly off’ before it crashed.

A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday(X/AZ Intel)

The Post further reported that one person had been killed and witnesses saw that the chopped was ‘split in half’ before it went down near Pier 40 on West Houston Street and West Street around 3:15 PM Local time. The publication cited sources to add that two adults and three children were on board.

Read More: Hudson River helicopter crash: First video from scene surfaces, NYC officials on scene | Watch

Helicopter took off from New York Downtown Manhattan Heliport

According to flight tracking website FlightRadar, it appears the helicopter was in the air for 15 minutes. The tracking website posted a graphic of the flight path on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. The chopper had likely taken off from the New York Downtown Manhattan Heliport.

The aircraft seems to be a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV which has a private owner, the post adds.

Read More: Bell 206L: All about the helicopter that crashed into Hudson River near Pier 40 in NYC

Chopper blade flew off

Avi Rakesh said he saw the helicopter going south toward New Jersey when ‘the chopper blade flew off’. He told NBC News: “I don’t know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped. It dropped feet away from Holland Tunnel, and I can’t imagine if it hit it.”

“Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas,” the New York Police Department (NYPD) tweeted. The Coast Guard also confirmed that it was one of the many agencies responding to the situation at the Hudson River.

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