NTSB photos show NYC tour helicopter 'suddenly' broke apart midair before fatal crash into Hudson River
Witness photos released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday show the tour helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on April 10, breaking apart midair before plunging into the water, killing six people.
Though the cause of the crash remains unknown, a preliminary report from the NTSB notes several witnesses heard multiple "loud bangs" coming from the Bell 206L-4 aircraft before it "suddenly" broke into three major sections midair and dropped into the river.
Photos show that first, the fuselage – containing the engine and main rotor blade assembly – completely separated from the tail boom.
In a subsequent photo, the main rotor blades with the attached transmission and roof structure could be seen broken apart from the fuselage.
'EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE' AS NTSB INVESTIGATES DEADLY HUDSON RIVER TOUR HELICOPTER CRASH
The helicopter departed Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport in New York City and flew in a teardrop pattern south of the Statue of Liberty, according to flight tracking data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
It then proceeded north along the east side of the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan, past the George Washington Bridge, where it performed a U-turn, then headed south along the New Jersey side of the river.
As the aircraft approached the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers near Jersey City, New Jersey, it increased in altitude to about 675 feet before rapidly descending, according to the FAA. Its last observed altitude was 125 feet.
6 DEAD, INCLUDING 3 CHILDREN, AFTER HELICOPTER PLUMMETS IN HUDSON RIVER
The fuselage landed upside down north of the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers, where the water depth was about 6 feet, according to the preliminary report.
The main rotor and tail boom sections were found north of the fuselage in about 30 feet of water.
Debris was also recovered from the surface of the river and from a rooftop near the NJ Transit building in Hoboken, New Jersey, according to the report.
The NTSB did not indicate the helicopter collided with the building.
NYC HELICOPTER TOUR COMPANY SHUTS DOWN AFTER HUDSON RIVER CRASH THAT KILLED 6: FAA
Though the aircraft was not equipped with any video or data recording devices, photos of the pilot taken just before the flight showed him wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which had video and audio recording capability, officials said.
The sunglasses were not recovered.
Six people, including a Navy SEAL veteran pilot, two adults and three children, were killed in the crash.
Five of the victims have been identified as a Spanish family: Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young children, the Associated Press reported.
Days after the crash, the company that owned the tour helicopter, New York Helicopter Tours, announced it was shutting down its operations immediately.
New Jersey Transit did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.
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Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.