jeremy clark. and so really this is beginning to come together now as investigators are in the water blocking out the search area. the problem with the hudson river we're told is that it is very choppy, it is a very strong current and 2/30 feet deep. visibility down there, it is gorgeous out here today but below the water it is only two to three feet. they have to go in there and find these bodies, sadly, that are trapped inside the wreckage, inside the metal. it is really a dangerous situation for divers as well. but they're beginning to pull more of the debris and bodies out today. >> what a tragic scene you're working there. thank you, nbc's jeff rossen. >>> clem carfaro is the owner of key air helicopters. he was a river pilot and worked doing tours of new york for almost two years. you were a friend of the pilot, jeremy clark, as having been just identified by liberty tours. tell me what kind of pilot he was? all you guys out there, you're a pretty close group. >> yeah. there is a certain cama

liberty tours say the pilot of the helicopter was jeremy clark, a new zealand native living in new jersey. it had just taken off for a 12-minute big apple tour of the manhattan. his brother daniel altman and his 15-year-old son douglas were on board. they were from pennsylvania. >> his father saw it. he knew exactly what it was. it's tragic. >> reporter: this home video shows the crash aftermath. you can see the ripples where the helicopter went down, along with floating debris and divers searching for any survivors. the pilots were both flying below 1,100 feet and are not required to have radio contact in this busy airspace. >> very busy corridor. i've been in the airspace. you've got to really watch. >> reporter: this latest accident has renewed a debay whether new regulations are needed in order to avoid another tragedy. >>> now here's a look at some other stories making news "early today" in america. . >>> in los angeles, surveillance video captured a rough encounter between a drunk man and a metropolitan transportation authority guard. the guard was convicted of battery after he atta

jeremy clark was flying the chopper carrying five italian tourists celebrating a wedding anniversary. drew levinson, wjz eyewitness news. >> the pilot who radioed the desperate last warning said the plane who hit the helicopter looked like a cruise missile hitting its target. marty mentioned a few minutes ago wjz is helping to raise prostrate cancer awareness. this weekend we kicked off a series of free prostrate cancer screenings. the first one was hosted by the first mt. olive baptist church. [ indses certainible ] -- [ indiscernible ] doctors were on hand to talk about the importance of prostrate cancer screening. our next screening is set for this coming weekend, saturday, august 15 from 10:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon. >>> make sure you come out for the great prostrate cancer challenge september 26 at st. joseph medical center in towson. marty will be there to get things going. >>> still to come on wjz's eyewitness news at noon, the china catastrophe. a typhoon causes massive evacuations and some deadly mud slides. the latest on the situation there. >>> and more imp

liberty tours say the pilot of the helicopter was jeremy clark. new zeeland native who was living in new jersey. five italian tourists on board had just taken off for a 12-minute big apple sightseeing tour of the manhattan skyline. in teet-- all are from pennsylv. >> i happened to be on the phone with his father. and his father saw it. he knew exactly what it was. it was tragic. >> reporter: this home video shows the crash aftermath. you can see the ripples where the helicopter went down along with floating debris and divers searching for any survivors. the pilots were both flying below 1,100 feet and are not required to have radio contact busy air space. >> you've got to really watch. >> reporter: this latest accident has renewed a debate whether new regulations are needed in order to avoid another tragedy. investigators say they are not identifying the bodies that have already been recovered until they can notify the families. in hoboken, new jersey, michelle franzen, news 4. >>> metro continues replacing faulty equipment on the redline track wh

the helicopter pilot, jeremy clark, also died. >> there's a certain camaraderie amongst the pilots. jeremy was a great pilot, great guy. >> reporter: yesterday's accident was the fourth involving liberty tour helicopters in the past 12 years. last year two liberty helicopters hit each other on the helipad without injuries. in 2007 a liberty helicopter crashed into the hudson. all eight people on board were rescued safely, and on new year's eve in 19d 97, a liberty helicopter crashed into another building at the heliport. three people had minor injuries. it is important to note liberty tours of new york city has offered its condolences to all of the families involved and they're cooperating fully with the investigation. the ntsb said tonight, lester, this investigation could take actually weeks or even months until they have an official cause. >> jeff rossen, jeff, thank you. for more now on the crash, we're joined by former ntsb investigator greg feith. first off sources as you heard in jeff's report are saying the plane may have been in a climbing right turn at the time of the colli

who flies for the same sightseeing company, saw the plane coming and tried to warn fellow pilot jeremy clarke. >> i say to him, i said, hey, jeremy, you have an airplane. he's off to your back right side. i said, i don't know if he's going to pass off to your back side behind you to your left or what. >> reporter: seconds later, impact. the question now, is the hudson's airspace too congested? all of this airspace over the hudson river and below 1,100 feet is unregulated and full of helicopters and planes. 25,000 sightseeing helicopter flights last year, 23,000 wall street helicopter flights, and very few accidents or incidents. >> if you don't listen carefully and speak very quickly, this is not the place for you to fly, but if you have a lot of training and you can handle it, there's no reason to think that you're not safe. >> reporter: still, some new york lawmakers say the hudson corridor is inherently unsafe, and are again calling for tougher air regulations. >> saturday's tragedy underscores the urgency of this issue. the hudson river flight corridor must not continue to be the wild wes

it was carrying pilot jeremy clark and five italian tourists. >> the river bottom is very murky and it's hard for the divers to see in front of them and they are trying to almost operate in the dark. >> side-scanning sonar has revealed a number of promising targets. the divers are working to confirm whether those targets might be the airplane. >> this is thepi per aircraft searchers are looking for. authorities believe its own, steve alman, was flying. also onboard his brother daniel and 15-year-old nephew doug. all three presumed dead. police sit in front of the pilot's pennsylvania home today. his family in shock and grieving. >> we're all devastated to hear of his accident. >> the pilot's family as well as the pilot were very charitable and generous people, extremely well-regarded in the flying community here. they gave freely of their time toake children on angel flight missions, where they would take them todo ctos r'visits and hospital stays. >> on the helicopter, the italian tourists include a man celebrating his 25th second we hiarn.so16ol fes wis 16-year-old son. his wife iras t

. >> investigators say the helicopter flown by jeremy clark lifted off from a west side manhattan heliport at about the same time as a piper, and pilot steven altman let teterboro airport. the two turned southbound over the river flying under visual flight rules meaning the pilot and not air-traffic controlerse were solely responsible for keeping a safe distance. sources say the plane's pilot closed in on the back of the helicopter and apparently never saw it as his right wing clipped the chopper's rotor. this photo was taken just after impact. the helicopter may have been in the pilot's blind spot. and neither aircraft had equipment to warn crews of an impending collision. traffic and collision avoidance systems called t-cats are required on larger passenger planes. and while t-cat is available for smaller aircraft t is expensive, about $10,000 per plane and not required. the crash now is renewing calls for the faa to clamp down on the congested airspace all around new york. the east river you might remember was closed to most small planes after one hit a building there three years ago. t

. >> i know one thing the nvs nts will find the helicopter pilot 33-year-old jeremy clark was a skilled experienced, prudent aviator. who had a smallest effort. paul says i know all that buzz jeremy and i spent the day together on the ground in a remote connecticut airport. unexpectededly bad weather made pushing on to our destination too dangerous in his professional opinion. during the hours we waited for the summer thunderstorms to pass he told me about himself how he come from new zealand how he recently become engaged to a lovely new jersey girl named danielle and how they were going to marry soon a start a family. i gave her my condolences. i offered all of the families involved but i wanted you to know jeremy was not only a good man he was a fer rific pil -- terrific pilot. now to the foun hall riots disrupting the healthcare reform debate. >> how would you feel physical a republican congressman attempting to touk had his constituents welfare reform or gun control is shouted down by plants from the afl cio. >> i don't think you have to talk to republican congressman. have you hea

jeremy clark and those tourists from italy and the family from pennsylvania, another skilled aviator,reaucrats in that tower were so irresponsible, they were uncaring, they were -- it enfewer raten few infewer ratin f infewer rates me. to hear this, it is just i'm telling you, folks, i demand a grand jury, a federal grand jury. this is beyond negligence. this is beyond unselfishness. this criminal. horrible. steve: they have to look at it. brian: we will talk with adam shore this weekend. steve: town halls have been heating up the white house says they are not a representation of how america really feels. why are the event being dismissed? alisyn: a sudden admission from a college basketball coach. will a morality clause in his contract mean the end of his career? teen girls and guys are from two different planets. that's why there's one-a-day teen advantage... for her and for him. the only complete multivitamins designed... for their specific health concerns. like her healthy skin and his healthy muscle function. one-a-day teen advantage. special interest groups are trying to block p

pilot jeremy clark romp he hadly engaged to be married was killed. on the small plane, 15-year-old douglas alt man, his brother and uncle lost their lives. they put together a video tribute to him on youtube. >> we're coming out live to one of the places operated by the new york police department. there's a small tent on the back of that boat and occasionally it's one of the places where, if divers find small pieces of debris that is easily manageable, they can bring that up and bring it over to that boat to be brought to a pier. >> it looks like tough, tough work ahead. susan candiotti, susan, thank you. >> let's bring our rob marciano here. we're talking about parts of iowa. cleaning up after a double dose of storms, a couple of waves of severe weather moved across the state. what was that? yesterday? >> we should have the video loaded. the national weather service said it's big-time hail. >> a couple of minor injuries and you can see with those trees that come down, it could be a lot worse. >> good deal. let's move on and show you where that line

pilot jeremy clark reportedly engaged to be married was killed so were five italian tourists includingnagers. on the small plane, 15-year-old douglas altman, his father and uncle lost their lives. his friends put a video tribute of him on youtube. and back out here live, you can see again that motorized raft, divers aboard it. as we look at that, we'll again raise one of the key questions that a lot of people are talking about and that is naturally why did the small plane and the sightseeing helicopter collide? and are more rules and restrictions necessary over this air space over the hudson river and the east river on the other side of manhattan? as you may recall, pilots in this area are flying under visual flight rules and that means that they have to count on each other to look out for each other. and use frequencies to let the other one know where they are. did that happen here? one of the areas at the national transportation safety board is looking at and one of the things, certainly, the victims' families would like to know. heidi? >> no question about it. susan and i knew the p

jeremy clark was at the controls of the chopper. a fellow helicopter tour pilot on the ground saw the plane coming and tried to warn his friend over the radio. he spoke exclusively with wnbc. >> i said, jeremy, you have an airplane, he's off to your back right side. i said i don't know if he's going to pass off to your back side, behind you, to your left or what. it was really just a matter of three or four seconds and there was -- i saw the impact. i'm pretty sure he heard me. i didn't get a reply because after i made clear a radio call as i could to warn him, it was just too quick. it was so quick. he was being overtaken by the other aircraft. >> reporter: we are learning more about their collision and how to happened. this single engine piper took off from new jersey's teterboro airport and flew south down the hudson toward new york city. moments later, the sightseeing helicopter took off from manhattan's west side. sources close to the investigation tell nbc news the plane may have been in a climbing right turn when it hit the h

helicopter pilot jeremy clarke and five italian tourists, a couple and their teenager, a father and son. his wife, the boy's mother, stayed behind on shore. too nervous to climb on board. and another helicopter pilot from the same tour company apparently saw that plane approaching the chopper and frantically tried to radio a warning to his colleague. it was too late. chris? >> all right, lisa. thank you. obviously the national transportation safety board is trying to figure out what happened here. just a few moments ago we spoke with debra hersman, the chairman of the ntsb. >> what i can tell you is that if the sety board finds any issues that we think need to be addressed immediately, we would issue urgent safety recommendation, however, we'll have to see what the facts of this accident show us. we know that there are a number of midair collisions every year, about 11, that occur in the united states over the past 10 years. we've lost about 158 people to midair collisions. the safety board recently made recommendations about news gathering helicopters. we had a midair collision over ph

in the helicopter, the victims included jeremy clark, the pilot, and five friends on vacation from it bologna, italy, who were celebrating one couple's 25th anniversary. it's a tragic end to this story not only for those on board but for the now widow of one of those killed on board the chopper, who chose to stay behind because she was scared to fly in it. she's now lost her husband and her 16-year-old son. harry? >> dave, you're a private pilot. you happen to be flying up the hudson river on friday. describe what it's like up there. >> harry, it's like a busy, multi-dimensional road. it's a huge narrow thoroughfare packed with air traffic. there's a constant clip of people saying where they are, where they're going, what altitude they're at and what landmark they're passing. it's not just one level. it's several different altitudes. you have to listen to the radio, always watch your instruments, look at the beautiful scenery, of course, and at the same time, most importantly, listen to air traffic and keep an eye outside. it's so easy to become distracted. you're talking about high w

chopper pilot ben lane, who works for the same tour operator, tried to warn pilot jeremy clark that a plane was coming. >> it was a blindside from his back right. there's no way we could see him. no way he could see him. >> reporter: the video also captures the first attempts at rescue as boats race to the area where both the chopper and the plane went down. only to find a few pieces of debris floating in the water. on thursday the five italian tourists on board the helicopter arrived back in italy for burial. now, investigators will closely examine this new tape to determine exactly how this midair collision ever happened. and whether it may finally be time to impose tougher restrictions on the air space over the hudson river. >> they're going to have to establish some very specific mandated rules, maybe having mandated flyways for transient traffic, really cleaning up or tightening up the standards for how tourist-type traffic and general aviation tourist flights in that area are conducted. >> reporter: both the ntsb and the faa have indicated they will look at whether they need to

also, the pilot of the helicopter, 32-year-old jeremy clarke worked for the tour company for about 18 tourists, one was a 15-year-old boy. he was with his parents, a father, 49 years old and a mother, 44 years old. also killed, a 51-year-old man with his 16-year-old son. our deepest condolences to those families. >>> let's check in with jack cafferty right now for "the cafferty file." jack? >> at long last, we may start getting some answers but don't hold your breath. the obama administration reportedly might be getting ready to launch a criminal investigation into the cia's treatment of detainees during the bush years. the "los angeles times" reports attorney general eric holder is poised to appoint a criminal prosecutor to look into the alleged abuses of terror suspects. one justice department official says it would be a narrow investigation, focused on whether people went beyond the techniques that were authorized in bush era memos. some say criminal convictions would be hard to come by because the quality of the evidence is poor and this stuff has never been tested legally. a pros

pilot jeremy clark, reportedly engaged to be married was killed, so were five italian tourists, including two teenagers. on the small plane, 15-year-old douglas faultman, his father and uncle lost their lives. teenager friends put together a video tribute to him on youtube. so before long divers will be back in the water looking for two remaining victims and the wreckage of a small plane they were in. >> later we'll be talking to someone from the ntsb about the situation, unregulated airspace below 1100 feet. susan candiotti, thanks. >>> as soon as president obama returns from mexico today he's expected to focus on this make or break month for health care reform. this morning democrats are trying to shed light on a plan sharing passions and triggering shofg matches at town hall meetings across the country. an editorial at usa today, quote, drowning out opposing views is simply un-american. concerns overtime safety of resident and staff force add school in missouri to cancel claire mccaskill's town hall event scheduled for tomorrow according to "st. louis post-dispatch" newspaper. more tir

pilot jeremy clarke reportedly engaged to be married, was killed. so were five tourists including two teenagers. on the small plane, 15-year-old douglas at altman and they lost their liveses. they put together a video tribute for him on youtube. >> by the way, neither aircraft was required to have an electronic data recorder on board. >>> a probate hearing is under way right now concerning michael jackson's estate. his mother wants to be a co-executor along with john bronca and john mcclain, named executors in his will. court documents indicate the estate could be worth $500 million but the actual current worth is about $100 million. court filings show branca and mcclain have received $5.5 million from his former financial adviser. they've taken possession of much of his property and hope to finish several multi-million dollar deals soon. >>> the man who killed three people in a shooting rampage in a gym in pennsylvania last week was questioned by police before the incident. police near pittsburgh say they questioned and searched george sodini just

clark was at the controls of the helicopter. one man tried to warn his friend over the radio. >> i said, jeremy, have you an airplane off to the back right side. i don't know if he is going to pass offer to your backside behind you to the left or what. and then it was really just a matter of three or four seconds, and there was -- i saw the impact. i am pretty sure he heard me, and i did not get a reply, and because after i made the call to warn him, it was just too quick. he was being overtaken by the aircraft. >> we are learning more about the midair collision and how it happened. the single engine piper took off from the at the tititeterboro a. and moments later this helicopter took off. and sources say the plane may have been at a climbing right turn when it hit the helicopter. >> the main cabin did a nosedive into the hudson. as i am watching the bodies being pulled from the river, it's sad nong that i was watching them die. >> reporter: onboard the chopper, five italian tourists including this 16-year-old boy and his father aboard the small plane, a family from pennsylvania, and another 16-year-old boy with his uncle. aircraf