All 9 Presumed Dead After Plane, Chopper Crash

All nine people are presumed dead after a small plane and a helicopter collided over the Hudson River today, the Daily News reports. Five sightseers from Italy and a pilot were aboard the chopper, and three were on the single-engine plane, including a child. Two bodies have been recovered so far, says Mayor Bloomberg. "This is not going to have a happy ending."

Witnesses say the plane's wing struck the helicopter's rotor. “There was a white puff,” an eyewitness says. “It looked like the rotors just exploded, like something hit him.” Another describes “parts of the propeller in the air.” The Piper PA-32 plane took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, and the helicopter was owned by Liberty Tours. (More New York City stories.)