Aircraft Collision now Recovery Mission

New York, NYThe helicopter and plane crash that collided over the Hudson River around noon today is now a recovery mission, reported CNN. There were 3 people on the plane and 6 in the helicopter. One of the occupants in the plane was a child, and there were 5 Italian tourists on board in the helicopter plus the pilot. Two bodies have been recovered, including the one they pulled earlier that was thought to be a rescue.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that, although 2 bodies were recovered, it was unclear whether the second one rescued by the Coast Guard was from the crash, which authorities "do not feel was survivable."

The New York City Fire Department rescued the second person. People at the scene reported that nothing could be seen floating on the water. CNN reported that one witness saw that the plane had a wing sheared off and it then began "corkscrewing" into the water… The helicopter "dropped like a rock" after the collision.

A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board, which will investigate the accident, said if the helicopter fell straight down, it's likely there was a rotor failure.