NEW YORK (AP) — Federal safety officials are faced with twin investigations in the crashes of two helicopters that plunged into the East River within minutes of taking off this past week.
A total of 14 people survived the two crashes. One remained in critical condition Saturday.
"We're casting a big net right now," National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator Brian Rayner said Saturday at a news conference.
Rayner was investigating Friday's crash of a helicopter carrying two pilots and six businessmen. The chopper went into the river just after taking off from midtown Manhattan's 34th Street heliport for a flight to Wilmington, Del.
Rayner, echoing comments of NTSB investigators looking into Tuesday's crash of a sightseeing helicopter just a few miles away near the Wall Street heliport, said it was far too early to speculate on what caused the crash.