Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NTSB: Fatal 2011 East River Helicopter Crash Caused By Overloading
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 2, 2013
Modified Mar 2, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 2, 2013
Modified Mar 2, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
On October 4, 2011, a helicopter filled with tourists crashed into the East River, killing three passengers. The National Transportation Safety Board, which did not find any engine failure soon after the crash, announced yesterday that the helicopter was overloaded by 28-261 pounds.
The pilot, Paul Dudley, had been taking his friends Paul and Harriet Nicholson, as well as Harriet Nicholson's daughter Sonia Marra (who was celebrating her 40th birthday) and her partner Helen Tamaki. The NTSB says, “The pilot had initially anticipated taking two passengers on the flight, but the two passengers brought two additional adults with them who also boarded the helicopter"—with Marra and Tamaki being the unexpected guests. When the chopper went down near the FDR Drive at 34th Street, it started to sink upside down. Marra was trapped in the wreckage and her body was retrieved 90 minutes after the chopper went down. The others were rescued, but Harriet Nicholson and Tamaki died in the hospital.
Paul Nicholson and Dudley survived. Nicholson told the NTSB that Dudley didn't ask for weights. The NTSB adds, "The passenger weights that the pilot provided investigators following the accident were significantly less than the weights provided by medical personnel and the surviving passenger." And the NY Times reports that Dudley denies the NTSB's claim:
The aircraft’s weight limit was 3,200 pounds, the report said. Investigators estimated that the combined weight of the pilot and four passengers was 1,090 pounds and that the total load at takeoff was between 3,228 and 3,461 pounds.
Mr. Dudley, 57, insisted that he had expected the women, had inquired about their weight and believed the helicopter to be more than 100 pounds under its limit. He said he had conducted all of the required preflight planning.
Dudley said the crash was caused by a problem that many Bell 206B helicopters have had.
Tagged
crash
death
east river
helicopter
manhattan
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Inside Luigi Mangione's legal strategy before his federal guilty plea
Newly unsealed transcripts and court filings reveal how his lawyers weighed a mental health defense — and the risk it could have posed to his federal case.
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 12:37 p.m. ET
NYC proposes crackdown down on AI customer service chatbots
Customers would have to be provided the option of speaking with a human.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
NYC proposes crackdown down on AI customer service chatbots
Customers would have to be provided the option of speaking with a human.
By
Arya Sundaram
Early Addition: There's a new hot duck, this time in Queens
By
James Ramsay
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
By
Ryan Kost
A reliably Republican part of NJ, until ICE came to town
By
Mike Hayes
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .