The pilot who was flying the helicopter which crashed into the Hudson River reportedly made a radio call warning moments before the crash.
Shocking footage captured the moment the helicopter, which was carrying a Spanish family-of-five, 'split in half' before dropping into the New York river, tragically killing all six people on board.
Officials were called at around 3.15pm in Manhattan on Thursday (10 April), with onlookers describing the scary scenes as the chopper plummeted into the water.
One eyewitness told WABC: "It sounded like a sonic boom. I look up, and literally I just see a helicopter splitting in two with the rotor flying off in the sky.
"It was going so fast, it just went straight into the water. I've never seen anything like that in my life."
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Plane crashes have seemingly been far too common in recent months, particularly in the US, and this latest tragedy will leave many people with questions as to how it was allowed to happen.
Michael Roth, 71, the CEO of New York Helicopter Tours which provided the tour and the chopper, revealed that the aircraft 'needed fuel', but it isn't clear why it didn't make it there.
He told The Telegraph: "He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn't arrive.
"We're all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.
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"The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster."
Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, aged 4, 5 and 11, were onboard the helicopter, along with the pilot, who is yet to be formally identified.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed after the rescue efforts concluded around 5.15pm, that four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others sadly succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
It is reported that the helicopter was in the air for around 16 minutes, and completed a circle near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River towards the George Washington Bridge.
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The aircraft was around 1,000ft in the air when things allegedly started to go wrong, with footage also capturing the moment a propeller from the plane fell into the water, before the rest of the aircraft followed.
New York City mayor Eric Adams said: "Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard. All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased."
LADbible has contacted the NYPD and US Coast Guard for comment.
Topics: New York
James Moorhouse