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

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

Updated on: Apr 11, 2025, 02:06:53 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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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.

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.

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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