Metro

Helicopter makes emergency landing in Hudson River, 4 passengers and pilot pulled to safety

'JUST DOING MY JOB:' Pilot Mike Campbell, 23, (seen in the grey shirt) is credited with smooth emergency landing.

‘JUST DOING MY JOB:’ Pilot Mike Campbell, 23, (seen in the grey shirt) is credited with smooth emergency landing. (G.N. Miller / NY Post)

TO THE RESCUE: FDNY boats respond to the scene after the helicopter splash-down in the Hudson.

TO THE RESCUE: FDNY boats respond to the scene after the helicopter splash-down in the Hudson. (Twitter)

A helicopter overheads as recue boats respond to the emergency landing.

A helicopter overheads as recue boats respond to the emergency landing. (Twitter/@mcharlesworth7)

The helicopter is hoisted out of the Hudson after the dramatic splash landing today. .

The helicopter is hoisted out of the Hudson after the dramatic splash landing today. . (G.N. Miller / NY Post)

SAFE ON DRY LAND: Tourists rescued from the Hudson leave the dock after their ordeal.

SAFE ON DRY LAND: Tourists rescued from the Hudson leave the dock after their ordeal. (Alexadre Cosic)

A sightseeing helicopter went down in the Hudson River, near 79th Street, with a pilot and four passengers all miraculously surviving, authorities said.

The craft made an emergency landing at about 11:58 a.m., officials said, and it appears three adults and two teen passengers made it out OK.

Witnesses and authorities all praised pilot Mike Campbell, 23, for keeping calm and making a remarkable landing.

“The pilot did a terrific job, considering he lost his engine power, and landed his ship safely,” FDNY Deputy Chief Thomas McKavanagh said at scene. “He was able to get this helicopter to land upright and with minimal impact.”

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The humble pilot said later that he didn’t consider himself a hero, shaking his head and saying, “I was just doing my job.” The pilot said there was a “mechanical error” during the flight.

Civilian boaters, NYPD Harbor and Aviation and FDNY rescuers showed up moments later to fetch the victims.

Sebastian Berthele, 38, a recreational boater from Montreal, was out on the water and couldn’t believe his eyes when the crippled helicopter went down.

“In the beginning we thought it was an exercise, just a helicopter trying to land in the water,” he said. “When we saw the floaters we thought maybe that’s just practice. But when it hit the water, it hit hard.”

Berthele and his family zoomed over and rescued the pilot while another boat grabbed the family, according to the Canadian visitor.

“We took the pilot to shore. They all seemed very healthy. They were all shocked, of course, especially the pilot, ” Berthele said.

“I congratulated him for the landing. He said there was a mechanical problem. I said, ‘Well, nice landing. We saw it.’ He said, ‘It could have been smoother.’ ”

Berthele added: “I said, ‘Well, it could have been worse.’ He said, ‘I’m happy everyone’s alive. I’m happy everyone’s OK.’ “

The midday drama stunned witnesses, out enjoying the warm summer day.

“The small copter appeared above us, we knew they were going down,” said witness William Parra, a 35-year-old personal trainer from the Bronx having brunch nearby. “Ten feet above the water, and it just went down. There was a huge splash.”

Corey Menscher, 40, said he couldn’t believe his eyes when he first spotted the distressed aircraft.

“I saw the helicopter coming in said to my wife, ‘Why is it coming in so low?’,” recalled Menscher. “I thought maybe it was taking pictures or video. Then at about 100 feet I said, ‘Oh, he’s going to land in the water!'”

“It took a while for me to realize what had happened. I thought it was some kind of strange stunt … it’s not something you see every day. I’m just glad everyone was safe,” he added.

All five people were in water for about 10 minutes before they made it to shore, according to Parra. The victims were not injured but are being evaluated at the 79th Street Boat Basin.

“The helicopter pilot was able to land the helicopter safely in the river,” Deputy Chief McKavanagh said.

“Some civilians in their small boats and jet skis were the first ones out there. They were able to take a family — I believe tourist[s] from Sweden, two adults, two children — were able to get them on their small boats and bring them into the 79th Street Boat Basin.”

The unmanned helicopter began to float south before the FDNY was able to secure it and tow it into the West 30th Street Heliport, officials said.

“When I spoke to the tourists, they said the landing felt like a 10-meter jump impact,” McKavanagh said.”He [the pilot] had some kind of control — a very skilled pilot.”

Additional reporting by Kirstan Conley, Larry Celona and David K. Li