Watch Helicopter crash in Manhattan's East River kills all 5 passengers, pilot escapes in Real Video News | Channify

Helicopter crash in Manhattan's East River kills all 5 passengers, pilot escapes All five passengers aboard a helicopter that crashed into Manhattan's East River Sunday night have died, authorities said. The red Eurocopter AS350, which officials said was operated by Liberty Helicopters and had been privately chartered for a photo shoot, apparently had engine failure. The pilot -- who repeatedly radioed "May day! May day! and reported "engine failure" -- was the sole survivor. He was identified as 33-year-old Richard Vance of Danbury, Connecticut, and was treated and released from New York Presbyterian Hospital. Vance "freed himself" and was cut out of a harness by personnel on an FDNY boat, Fire Department of New York City Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. The passengers were "tightly harnessed" in the helicopter, which was submerged upside down. A 14-member team from the National Transportation Safety Board was headed to the scene Monday morning to investigate the crash. A bystander captured video of the helicopter's descent into the water. The footage shows the final seconds as the chopper's propellers strike the glassy river's surface, its engine sputtering.