The pilot of a helicopter in New York City was the only survivor of the crash over the weekend.
Richard Vance, 33, escaped as his Eurocopter AS350 went down near 88th Street with five passengers inside.
Everyone died except for Vance.
Vance told investigators later that the crash was caused by engine failure.
“He’s a very good pilot,” the elder Vance said, adding that his son has flown for “a lot of years” with a commercial pilot’s license.
From July 2012 to March 2016, his job was listed as assistant chief flight instructor for Northeast Helicopters, which describes itself as one of the most reputable helicopter schools in the country.
After the helicopter started going down, Vance sent out a distress call.
“Mayday … Mayday … Mayday!” Vance said, according to the Post. “East River engine failure!”
The helicopter floated in the East River water for several minutes before sinking and killing everyone on board. It’s unclear if Vance attempted to save any of the passengers.
Officials later used a crane to pull the chopper out of the water.
“One of the most difficult parts of the rescue were that five people were tightly harnessed,” Fire Department of New York Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. “People had to be cut out.”
The last crash took place in August 2009, when a sightseeing helicopter carrying nine people slammed into a small plane over the Hudson River.
Investigators later determined that the helicopter was flying too high. All nine people were killed.
The other crash took place in July 2007, when a Liberty Sightseeing helicopter carrying eight people dropped into the Hudson River. Everyone survived the incident.
