NTSB photos show NYC tour helicopter ‘suddenly’ broke apart midair before fatal crash into Hudson River

Witness photos released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday show the tour helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on April 10, breaking apart midair before plunging into the water, killing six people.

Though the cause of the crash remains unknown, a preliminary report from the NTSB notes several witnesses heard multiple “loud bangs” coming from the Bell 206L-4 aircraft before it “suddenly” broke into three major sections midair and dropped into the river.

Photos show that first, the fuselage – containing the engine and main rotor blade assembly – completely separated from the tail boom. 

In a subsequent photo, the main rotor blades with the attached transmission and roof structure could be seen broken apart from the fuselage.

Though the aircraft was not equipped with any video or data recording devices, photos of the pilot taken just before the flight showed him wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which had video and audio recording capability, officials said. 

The sunglasses were not recovered.

Six people, including a Navy SEAL veteran pilot, two adults and three children, were killed in the crash.

Five of the victims have been identified as a Spanish family: Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young children, the Associated Press reported.

Days after the crash, the company that owned the tour helicopter, New York Helicopter Tours, announced it was shutting down its operations immediately.

New Jersey Transit did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.