On Wednesday, federal investigators disclosed photographs of the New York City tour helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River last month, killing six people, and shocking onlookers.

According to the preliminary report, the helicopter's tail was ripped from the fuselage, which contains the engine and rotors, in surveillance camera stills. The rotor blades and transmission appeared to pull away from the passenger and pilot cabin, as The Daily Mail reported.

Images were included in the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary flight report, which will be expanded and finalized in months, or possibly a year.

“Several witnesses described hearing several loud ‘bangs’ emanating from the helicopter before it broke up and descended into the river,” the report says.

About the Flight

The plane took off from the downtown heliport near Wall Street at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and flew north over the Manhattan skyline before veering south toward the Statue of Liberty.

The tail and main rotors separated less than 18 minutes into the flight, and smoke began to stream out of the whirling chopper.

Recent years have seen New York Helicopter, the tour operator, go bankrupt and be the subject of continuing litigation over alleged debts.

In response to the inquiry, the business has stated that it is helping the authorities.

Expert Opinion

Justin Green, an aviation lawyer and former Marine helicopter pilot, said the images show the helicopter yawing severely and the tail boom failing, suggesting the main rotor blades hit it in flight.

“It’s clear that some mechanical issue precipitated the breakup,” he said. “We still do not know the exact issues, only potential causes.”

According to him, the initial reason of "the in-flight breakup of the aircraft" is not addressed in the six-page initial NTSB report.

To find a conclusive answer, a forensic expert will have to examine the debris, which includes the rotor blades, engine, and gearbox.

From the Feds

This Bell 206L-4, which was manufactured in 2004, experienced a transmission assembly maintenance issue in September, according to documents from the FAA.

Federal officials on Wednesday released images of a doomed New York City sightseeing helicopter as it broke apart in midair last month, killing six people.

A sequence of still images captured from surveillance camera footage shows the separation of the helicopter's tail from its engine and rotors.

The pilot's and passengers' cabin separated from the rotor blades and transmission, all of which eventually ended up in the river along with all of those on board.