Helicopter crashes into Hudson River

(New York - WABC, July 8, 2007) (WABC) -- A helicopter trip around Manhattan ended up in the Hudson River.

Seven people got much more than they bargained for when their ride fell out of the sky - into the river.

The emergency splash-landing happened shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon just north of the Lincoln Tunnel near Weehawken.

Eyewitness News reporter Jeff Pegues reports from Manhattan's West Side.

Onlookers could see smoke rising from the Hudson River.

On board, there were the pilot along with seven passengers including former high school sweethearts Jose Mejia and Zaira Machado.

"I thought I was going to die," said rescued passenger Jose Mejia.

And it's not like he hasn't been in difficult situations before. He works for the fire department as an EMT but this was different.

He needed to be rescued when the chopper lost altitude and dropped into the Hudson River.

"I saw it going down," said eyewitness Gregory Klaeboe. "I saw it making a sharp turn."

The Liberty Travel helicopter went down after only being in the air a matter of minutes.

"After eight minutes into the flight, they developed serious engine problems and heard loud noises," said an official.

Those engine problems forced the helicopter down.

It crashed into the Hudson but instead of sinking the chopper's pontoon was immediately inflated allowing it to float.

"It was really scary because I didn't know how to swim," said rescued passenger Zaira Machado.

The passengers and the pilot were in the water for about three minutes, before civilian vessels plucked them from the river. And then, they were ferried to dry land relieved that everyone had survived.

A sightseeing trip that delivered a lot more than any of them had expected.

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