A Bell 206 crashed into the Hudson River on Wednesday in lower New York after what appeared to be a mechanical issue of some kind. The pilot, 35-year-old Eric Morales suffered only a cut to one hand. A nearby worker scrambling to avoid debris flying off the helicopter as it hit the water fell and suffered a minor injury.
Morales was repositioning the helicopter when it went out of control, banked suddenly and then hit the water—though the video of the crash doesn’t show that last moment of the flight.
Morales deployed the emergency floats and the Bell, its blades completely gone, stayed afloat, the pilot quickly being rescued by another nearby helicopter that swooped into his rescue.
It was only after the helicopter was being towed back to shore that it flipped over. The NTSB is investigating the crash.
