New York East River Helicopter Crash: Eurocopter AS350's Past Accidents

A helicopter carrying six people crashed into the New York East River on Sunday, killing at least two people on board.

The incident occurred around 7:15 p.m. EDT. The pilot of the helicopter was seen climbing on to a raft, while the passengers — with their seatbelts fastened — remained trapped inside the aircraft, the New York Post reported.

A tugboat was dispatched toward the scene of the crash without delay. Soon, the New York Police Department deployed two divers to search for victims of the crash.

"Five people have been recovered by New York City Police Department and the New York City Fire Department divers and their conditions are currently unknown," the coast guard said in a statement. "The helicopter reportedly is inverted in the water. Local authorities will confirm the number of people on board, their names and conditions.”

The status of the sixth passenger remains unknown. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said divers were still searching for survivors. Within hours of the crash, three of the crash victims were laid out on stretchers at the scene and medical experts were performing CPR on them.

A video of the crash, uploaded on the social media, showed a Eurocopter AS350 crash landing on the water.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the make and model of the helicopter — it was a single-engine aircraft capable of accommodating up to six passengers.

The helicopter is commonly used by tour companies and is owned by New Jersey-based Fly Liberty Charter. It took off from Wall Street, New York.

“Our fleet stands ready to respond to your every need for quick, comfortable charters from the VIP Heliport at West 30th Street, the East 34th Street Heliport or the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at Pier 6,” says Fly Liberty Charter’s website.

Another Eurocopter AS350 — owned by Nevada-based Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters — crashed on an air tour out of Las Vegas, in the Grand Wash Cliffs area, near Meadview, on Aug. 10, 2001. The pilot and five passengers were killed.

In June 2012, another Eurocopter AS350, which was owned by the Kenya police, crashed in Kibiku area in Ngong. All the six passengers as well as the helicopter crew were killed. Among the victims were Interior Security Minister George Saitoti and his Assistant Minister Joshua Orwa Ojode.

Witnesses at the scene of Sunday's crash saw a red-colored helicopter rapidly descending into the water. One witness recalled there were no immediate signs pointing to an engine malfunction such as smoke or fire. However, the aircraft was flying at an extremely low altitude.

“It almost looked like it was landing,” Xinran Jiang, who saw the crash from her bedroom window, told the New York Times. “It wasn’t moving fast. We were curious where it was going to land. Then the next minute, it was diving into the river.”

Another witness told the Post that for a moment she was under the impression that the no one would make it alive out of the crash. “There was about a minute where we didn’t see anyone come out,” Brianna Jesme, 22, said. “Then after a minute, we saw a man come out holding onto a raft screaming: ‘Help! help! Ah!’ and then inaudible screams. It was horrifying.”

The exact cause of Sunday's crash is not yet known.