Metro

Crash heli overweight

A helicopter that crashed into the East River during a sightseeing tour last year, killing three passengers, was carrying too much weight, although barely, a federal report said yesterday.

The National Transportation Safety Board hasn’t concluded what caused the September 2011 crash.

The Bell 206 chopper was carrying an estimated 3,228 pounds, when its capacity was 3,200 pounds, the NTSB report said.

Pilot Paul Dudley, who survived — along with one passenger — told investigators he asked passengers’ weights and calculated they’d be OK. But the surviving passenger said Dudley didn’t check, the report said.

Dudley told the NTSB the chopper’s nose swung unexpectedly left during takeoff and the aircraft then went out of control.