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The chopper pilot whose crash in the East River killed an Australian tourist made a split-second decision to go down in the water to avoid the densely populated Manhattan shoreline, a federal investigator said yesterday.
“The pilot reported that he got 50 feet above ground and 45 degrees into a turn and he knows he has a problem,” said Mark Rosekind of the National Transportation Safety Board.
“At that point, he considers turning left but felt that was going to take him into a populated area. Then the aircraft crashes into the water and flips upside-down.”
Investigators still don’t know why Paul Dudley lost control of his 1976 Bell Ranger, which went down Tuesday afternoon just after taking off from the 34th Street Heliport — although they’ve found no signs of catastrophic engine failure, a bird strike or fire.
The feds found damage to both the tail rotor and one of the main blades when the helicopter was hauled from the water, but Rosekind said it’s not clear whether they broke before or after the crash.
Rosekind said the helicopter likely did not have a flight-data recorder or “black box.” But engine monitors and navigation equipment may have stored useful information.
Earlier yesterday, Dudley told a pal that engine failure caused the crash.
“He thinks it was engine failure. He lost power. What else could it be?” said Rich Brunett, a fellow pilot.
Brunett said Dudley, 56, was “devastated’’ by the crash, which killed Sonya Marra. Her mother, Harriet Nicholson, 60, and partner Helen Tamaki — who’d planned the New York trip as a birthday surprise for Marra — were in critical condition. Paul Nicholson, 71, who is Marra’s stepfather and Dudley’s close friend, suffered minor injuries.
Dudley and his passengers had planned a leisurely sightseeing trip around Manhattan. But the helicopter crashed in 50 feet of water.
Dudley could be heard on over his radio saying, “I have a problem, I have a problem. I’m coming back in,” seconds before the crash.
Paul Nicholson and Dudley desperately clung to the sinking helicopter and were pulled ashore along with Tamaki and Harriet Nicholson.
But Marra remained trapped as the chopper sank. Her body was recovered 90 minutes later.
The Nicholsons are British citizens who live in Portugal, while Marra, also a Brit, and Tamaki, 43, a New Zealand native, lived in Sydney, Australia
Nicholson yesterday went to Bellevue Hospital to see Harriet and Tamaki, both fighting for their lives in the intensive-care unit.
Meanwhile, lawmakers called for a ban on tourist choppers from over Manhattan waterways.
“Yet another terrible tragedy involving a helicopter should send us a clear message,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler.
But Mayor Bloomberg shot down the idea.
“It’s very tragic that somebody died. There’s three or four deaths in automobile accidents every single week in this city. Nobody suggests we’re going to ban automobiles,” he said.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Amber Sutherland