Helicopter crash lands into Hudson River in New York City with 'six passengers dead'

A into the Hudson River in after a propeller "broke off mid-air", killing all six people aboard.

Several rescue boats rushed to the area of the crash site where the remains of the aircraft, said to be a Bell 206, were seen bobbing upside down in the choppy waters. Videos online showed the helicopter flying erratically in the skies over the Hudson moments. Witnesses then reported hearing a loud bang and claimed the propeller came off the helicopter, sending it plunging to the water below and killing all six people aboard, with local reports saying one of the victims was a child.

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One person wrote on X: "I just witnessed a helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Made a real loud thumping sound. Looked up and the propeller broke off and it crashed in the river. I couldn't see it in the water." A witness who filmed the helicopter in the immediate aftermath of the crash said on X: "Helicopter crashed in Hudson! The chopper broke off midair and dropped!"

The footage shows what appears to be the landing gear or the undercarriage of the chopper floating at the surface of the Hudson River. The helicopter reportedly made a loud, unusual sound before plunging into the river, according to witnesses.

Another said they heard a loud boom before the helicopter plummeted into the Hudson. Camran Mahmoodi, 21, told local news: “Everyone heard a loud boom and we didn’t know if it landed in the city or the water”. He added that FDNY divers surrounded the area to pull people out of the water.

Amy Kiplok, who was walking along the West Side Piers, said: “I just heard this boom, boom, boom, boom, boom and then I looked up and it just went into the river. And then I thought, was that really a helicopter? Then I called 911 and said I think a helicopter went into the river.”

The NYPD has warned New Yorkers to expect multiple emergency vehicles in the surrounding area and travel delays as they respond to the incident. The force said in a statement on X: "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 says the helicopter has crashed near to New York's West Side Highway and Spring Street, which is near Pier 40 and the entrance to Holland Tunnel.

The fire department said it received a report of a helicopter in the water at 3:17 p.m. Videos posted on social media showed the aircraft mostly submerged, upside down in the water.

The fire department said it had units on scene performing rescue operations. Multiple rescue boats were seen on video circling the aircraft.

The rescue craft were near a site close to the Manhattan waterfront, near the end of a long maintenance pier for one of the ventilation towers for the Holland Tunnel.

The crash site is on the helicopter flight path between Manhattan and Newark Airport. The airspace is also well used by choppers hired by tourists to fly over New York City’s attractions. The crash was close to where US Airways Flight 1549, piloted by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, miraculously landed in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009.