9 Dead in helicopter-plane crash

NEW YORK CITY NY AUG 8 2009 – A small plane has collided with a tour helicopter over the Hudson River and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says it’s believed that all nine people are dead.

Bloomberg says the crash victims include five Italian tourists and a pilot on the helicopter and three people on the plane, including a child.

Bloomberg says officials believe the accident was “not survivable.”

Rescue workers have recovered two bodies in the water, one floating free and one in the wreckage. According to reports, other bodies have been spotted in the debris.

The mayor says “it’s fair to say that this has changed from a rescue to a recovery mission.”

The accident happened in a busy general aviation corridor in which pilots operate freely at a low altitude and keep an eye out for other aircraft by sight.