Pilot to NTSB: Passenger harness shut off fuel before crash

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - The NTSB has released a preliminary report on the deadly helicopter crash in the East River. It doesn't say what caused the crash but it does outline the pilot's account of the events leading up to the tragedy in which all five passengers died.

The passengers had booked a doors-off photography flight with liberty helicopters on March 11. The pilot took off on a clear night from an airport in Kearny, New Jersey.

The pilot, Richard Vance, told NTSB investigators that he noticed engine trouble flying over Central Park. He considered making an emergency landing in the park but didn't because of "too many people." Instead, he headed toward the East River and made his first distress call.

"He yelled to the passengers to get back in their seats. Due to the helicopter's airspeed, he was not sure he could make it to the East River and reduced rotor rpm so he could 'glide better,'" the NTSB report stated. In the interview, he went onto explain he was "'committed to impact,' and, when he reached down for the emergency fuel shutoff lever, he realized that it was in the off position. He also noted that a portion of the front seat passenger's tether was underneath the lever," the report continued.

Vance told crash investigators he moved the tether and tried to restart the engine several times. He had some success but the chopper was descending rapidly. He was unable to regain altitude. The helicopter crashed into the East River and immediately began to fill with water and then turned upside down.

Vance said he kept his restraint on and tried to free the front-seat passenger from the safety harness. Soon, he was fully underwater so he said he decided to un-buckle his restraint and pull himself out onto the belly of the sinking helicopter and wave for help.

His five passengers were still inside, still locked in safety harnesses, upside down in a sinking helicopter.

The NTSB has yet to release a final report on the cause of the crash. The agency said that the engine showed "no evidence of abnormalities."

The FAA has issued an order suspending doors-off flights.