NEW YORK (WPIX)—
Police divers have recovered the bodies of seven victims in Saturday's fatal aircraft collision over the Hudson River in which nine people perished.By Saturday evening, three bodies had been recovered from the debris of the crash site near West 14th Street in Manhattan and taken to the city medical examiner's office, a spokeswoman for the office said.
The Associated Press reported that the helicopter company, Liberty Helicopters, has released the name of the pilot as Jeremy Clarke of Lanoka Harbor, NJ, who had about 2,700 hours of flight time. The five tourists aboard the helicopter, who came from the Bologna, Italy, have been identified as 51-year old Michele Norelli, his 16-year-old son Filippo Norelli, 49-year-old Fabio Galazzi, his 44-year-old wife Tiziana Pedroni and their 15-year-old son Giacomo Gallazi.
The trip to New York was a gift from Norelli's sister to celebrate Michele Norelli and his wife's 25th wedding anniversary. Norelli's wife, now a widower, stayed behind because she was afraid of flying. The helicopter trip was only supposed to be a 12-minute tour of the city.
According to two law enforcement officials, the plane's pilot was 60-year-old Steven Altman of Ambler, Pa. Altman was accompanied in the aircraft by 49-year-old Daniel Altman of Dresher, Pa., and his 16-year old son, Douglas. The bodies of Steven Altman and Daniel Altman have not yet been recovered.
At a news conference, National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Debbie Hersman said that the hull of the helicopter was located, and buoys have been placed around it. The airplane has yet to be found.
Hersman said she did not know if there were black boxes or other recording devices on the two aircraft, as aircraft of their size are not required to have such equipment.
She went on to state that investigators are hoping to find photos and video of the accident that could help them determine what happened. A handful of photos have surfaced in the media, including at least one showing the moment of impact.
Remarked New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, "We're going to stay out there until the job is done," noting the river's "demanding conditions," such as limited visibility and strong tides and currents, as factors that may hamper the search effort.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg asserted that "nothing is a fact" until a National Transportation Safety Board investigation is complete. The federal agency yesterday dispatched a 10-member team to investigate the incident.
According to the NTSB, Liberty Tours reported eight accidents since 1995. Saturday's crash was the company's first fatal accident and marked the worst air disaster in New York City since November 2001 when a commerical jet crashed in Queens after the World Trade Center attacks.
