Body Found in Plane From Midair Hudson River Crash
Plane pieces found in murky water two days after accident that killed nine.
Aug. 10, 2009 — -- Police say have found a man's body in the wreckage of the small plane that collided with a helicopter Saturday over the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey.
The police said divers could not dislodge the body from the wreckage, which is buried in about 60 feet of water.
They consulted the Army Corps of Engineers about how to pull the aircraft to the surface.
It is not yet clear whether divers or robots outfitted with cameras identified the plane's remains.
Watch "World News With Charles Gibson" tonight at 6:30 ET for the full report.
Two days after the midair collision that killed nine people, police have released some of the 911 calls from eyewitnesses to the crash over the river between New York City and Hoboken, N.J.
The National Transportation Safety Board has also interviewed a pilot who was refueling his helicopter at west 30th street. That pilot saw the Piper Lance heading toward the helicopter, and tried to warn the chopper pilot.
"He was obviously concerned enough to radio to let him know about the close proximity of the other traffic," said NTSB chairwoman Deborah Hersman.
Onboard the helicopter were five Italian tourists and a pilot, embarking on what was expected to be a brief 12-minute tour from the air. The aircraft, owned by Liberty Helicopters, had barely taken off from Manhattan when it collided with a Piper Lance plane, sending both plunging into the Hudson.
The Piper took off from Teterboro, N.J. On Sunday, divers pulled out most of the helicopter. They have now recovered the bodies of eight victims.
Still, questions remain about the cause and what could have been done to prevent the deadly accident.
Investigators believe that after the Piper left Teterboro airport, the pilot -- Steve Altman -- may have failed to follow instructions to switch to the Newark airport frequency and check in with controllers there. Hersman said the Teterboro airport then tried to contact the aircraft but it was unsuccessful.
A government source also told ABC News that the plane -- flying at around 1,100 feet -- was apparently making a climbing right turn when it crashed into the helicopter. In that area over the river, aircraft flying below 1,100 feet are outside the supervision of air traffic controllers, and simply required to avoid each other.
In other words, below 1,100 feet, pilots are virtually on their own with no controllers guiding them in the crowded airspace. One pilot called this area the major leagues of aviation, and said pilots should not play here if they are not proficient. Hersman said it's the responsibility of pilots "to see and be seen and be aware of traffic around them."
