Helicopter, plane collide over Hudson

A video shot by a tourist shows a small plane soaring over the Hudson River before clipping a helicopter, sending them both plummeting toward the water.

A small jet waits for clearance to take off from Teterboro Airport. On Aug. 8, 2009, an air traffic controller at Teterboro Airport was joking on the phone seconds before the deadly midair collision over the Hudson River.

Pallbearers carry coffins to five awaiting hearses at the Frank E. Campbell funeral home in Manhattan as mourners gathered to honor five Italian tourists who were killed in a sightseeing helicopter when it and another aircraft collided over the Hudson River Saturday killing nine. (Aug. 12, 2009)

The funeral procession for the five Italian tourists who perished in the Aug. 8 air accident over the Hudson River heads up Madison Ave. on its way to JFK airport. (Aug. 12, 2009)

Investigators examine the wreckage of an airplane on a pier in Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 12, 2009)

Investigators examine the wreckage of an airplane near the wreckage of a helicopter in Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 12, 2009)

An investigator searches along the Hudson River shore in Hoboken, N.J., near where the wreckage of a helicopter and an airplane that collided midair Saturday fell into the river. (Aug. 12, 2009)

Investigators search along the Hudson River shore in Hoboken, N.J., near where the wreckage of a helicopter and an airplane that collided midair Saturday fell into the river. (Aug. 12, 2009)

A diver goes into the Hudson River near a marker buoy in Hoboken, N.J., as investigators search for more wreckage near where a helicopter and an airplane that collided midair Saturday fell into the river. (Aug. 12, 2009)

Family and friends of the five Italian tourists who perished in the Aug. 8 air accident over the Hudson River enter the Frank E. Campbell funeral home in Manhattan for a memorial service. (Aug. 12, 2009)

A crane pulls part of the remains of a plane out of the Hudson River after it was involved in a midair collision with a helicopter in Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 11, 2009)

The wreckage from a plane that hit a helicopter and crashed in the Hudson River on Saturday is lifted by an Army Corp. of Engineers boat in Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 11, 2009)

The wreckage from a plane that hit a helicopter and crashed in the Hudson River on Saturday is lifted by an Army Corp. of Engineers boat in Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 11, 2009)

The wreckage of a helicopter that was hit by an airplane and crashed in the Hudson River is repositioned by a crane on a pier in Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 10, 2009)

Law enforcement officials examine the remains of a helicopter salvaged from the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J. A small plane carrying three people, which took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, collided with a helicopter owned by Liberty Tours that was carrying five Italian tourists and a pilot on Aug. 8. (Aug. 10, 2009)

Giovanni Castellaneta, Italian ambassador to the United States, listens to a question at a news conference at the Italian Consulate in Manhattan, to discuss the midair collision that killed five Italian citizens over the Hudson River Saturday. (Aug. 10, 2009)

At City Hall, Italy's Ambassador to the United States, Giovanni Castellaneta, right, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg hold a joint news conference to discuss Saturday's midair collision over the Hudson River. The collision left five Italian tourists dead after their sightseeing helicopter crashed into a private plane over the Hudson River. (Aug. 10, 2009)

Helicopter and plane crash victims Giacomo Galazzi, left, and Douglas Altman.

A plane and helicopter collide midair over the Hudson River on Aug. 8, 2009.

The wreckage of a helicopter is lifted by crane from the Hudson River as seen from Hoboken, N.J. Divers recovered a piece of a submerged helicopter and a fifth body Sunday as investigators searched the Hudson River for wreckage from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, killing nine people. (Aug. 9, 2009)

The wreckage of a helicopter is lifted by crane from the Hudson River and placed on a boat as seen from Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 9, 2009)

The wreckage of a helicopter is lifted onto a barge in the Hudson River August 9, 2009 near Hoboken, New Jersey. A small plane carrying three people, which took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, collided with a helicopter owned by Liberty Tours that was carrying five Italian tourists and a pilot. (Aug. 9, 2009)

Wreckage of a helicopter that collided with an airplane over the Hudson River on Aug. 8 is hauled from a barge onto the 12th Street Pier in Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 9, 2009)

The wreckage of a helicopter is lifted by crane from the Hudson River and placed on a boat as seen from Hoboken, NJ, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. The wreckage of a helicopter is lifted by crane from the Hudson River and placed on a boat as seen from Hoboken, N.J., Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. Divers recovered a piece of a submerged helicopter and a fifth body Sunday as investigators searched the Hudson River for wreckage from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, killing nine people. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The wreckage of a helicopter is lifted by crane from the Hudson River and placed on a boat as seen from Hoboken, N.J., Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. Divers recovered a piece of a submerged helicopter and a fifth body Sunday as investigators searched the Hudson River for wreckage from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, killing nine people.

The wreckage of a helicopter is lifted by crane from the Hudson River as seen from Hoboken, N.J. Divers recovered a piece of a submerged helicopter and a fifth body Sunday as investigators searched the Hudson River for wreckage from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, killing nine people. (Aug. 9, 2009)

Emergency personnel move what appears to be a body from the Hudson River as seen from Hoboken, NJ, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. Police boats and divers on Sunday circled the wreckage of a submerged tourist helicopter as investigators resumed their search for debris and missing bodies from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, raining wreckage down on the New Jersey waterfront and into the Hudson River. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Reproduction taken Sunday Aug. 9, 2009 of a recent undated photo showing Giacomo Gallazzi with his BSL under-17 basketball team from San Lazzaro di Savena near Bologna, Italy. Gallazzi is one of nine victims including five Italian tourists, three members of a Pennsylvania family and a helicopter pilot, who died after a small plane collided with a helicopter above the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J., Saturday Aug. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Paolo Ferrari)

Emergency personnel hand up pieces of debris that were found in the Hudson River as seen from Hoboken, N.J., Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. Police boats on Sunday circled the wreckage of a submerged tourist helicopter as investigators resumed their search for debris and missing bodies from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, raining wreckage down on the New Jersey waterfront and into the Hudson River. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A diver hands up pieces of debris that were found in the Hudson River, as seen from Hoboken, N.J., Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. Police boats on Sunday circled the wreckage of a submerged tourist helicopter as investigators resumed their search for debris and missing bodies from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, raining wreckage down on the New Jersey waterfront and into the Hudson River. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

HOBOKEN, NJ - AUGUST 9: Divers unload a piece of wreckage from their raft to a New York City Police boat as they search for wreckage and victims in the Hudson River, August 9, 2009 near Hoboken, New Jersey. A small plane carrying three people, which took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, collided with a helicopter owned by Liberty Tours that was carrying five Italian tourists and a pilot. The incident, which is believed to have killed all nine people, took place over Hudson River in-between New York and New Jersey just after noon on Saturday August 8, 2009. (Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

Rescue teams work at the wreckage site of two aircraft that collided above the Hudson River, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009 in New York. Police boats on Sunday circled the wreckage of a submerged tourist helicopter as investigators resumed their search for debris and missing bodies from the helicopter and a small plane that collided in midair, raining wreckage down on the New Jersey waterfront and into the Hudson River. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

HOBOKEN, NJ - AUGUST 08: NYPD boats and divers circle the area where a small airplane and helicopter collided over the Hudson River August 8, 2009 near Hoboken, New Jersey. A small plane carrying three people, which took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, collided with a helicopter owned by Liberty Tours that was carrying five Italian tourists and a pilot. The incident, which is believed to have killed all nine people, took place over Hudson River in-between New York and New Jersey just after noon on Saturday. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

HOBOKEN, NJ - AUGUST 08: NYPD boats and divers circle the area where a small airplane and helicopter collided over the Hudson River August 8, 2009 near Hoboken, New Jersey. A small plane carrying three people, which took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, collided with a helicopter owned by Liberty Tours that was carrying five Italian tourists and a pilot. The incident, which is believed to have killed all nine people, took place over Hudson River in-between New York and New Jersey just after noon on Saturday. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

HOBOKEN, NJ - AUGUST 08: Police tape is seen near the area where a small airplane and helicopter collided over the Hudson River August 8, 2009 in Hoboken, New Jersey. A small plane carrying three people, which took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, collided with a helicopter owned by Liberty Tours that was carrying five Italian tourists and a pilot. The incident, which is believed to have killed all nine people, took place over Hudson River in-between New York and New Jersey just after noon on Saturday. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Police divers are seen near a small boat in the Hudson River Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Hoboken, N.J. A small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter carrying Italian tourists over the Hudson River on Saturday, scattering debris in the water and forcing people on the New Jersey waterfront to scamper for cover. Authorities believe all nine people aboard the two aircraft were killed. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Police officers transport a body in the Hudson River after small plane collided with a tour helicopter carrying about a half-dozen people, sending debris into the river and onto the New Jersey waterfront. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Small police boats, right, sit at an orange marker buoy in the Hudson River on Saturday after a helicopter and a small airplane collided midair and fell into the river. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Firefighters survey the scene of a helicopter crash on the Hudson River. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Hoboken mayor Dawn Zimmer, right, background is briefed by emergency service personnel at the scene of a helicopter crash on the Hudson River. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Rescue workers look for debris and possible survivors in the Hudson River after a tour helicopter collided with a small plane. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Leo Pellegrini is interviewed about a small airplane and helicopter that collided over the Hudson River. (Aug. 8, 2009)

This is an example of a Liberty Tours helicopter that collided with a small airplane over the Hudson River. (Aug. 8, 2009)

A splash rises from the Hudson River where a small plane carrying three people collided with a tour helicopter carrying about a half-dozen people. (Aug. 8, 2009)

New Jersey Gov. John Corzine, right, is briefed at the scene of a helicopter crash on the Hudson River. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Rescue boats search the area where a small airplane and helicopter collided over the Hudson River. (Aug. 8, 2009)

People watch as rescue boats search the area where a small airplane and helicopter collided over the Hudson River. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Emergency workers are seen looking for debris in the Hudson River after a helicopter and small plane crashed into each other in midair. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Rescuers search in the Hudson River after a small plane collided with a tour helicopter carrying about a half-dozen people near Manhattan. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Rescuers search in the Hudson River after a small plane collided with a tour helicopter between Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Rescuers search in the Hudson River after a small plane collided with a tour helicopter carrying about a half-dozen people near Manhattan. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Rescue boats circle the area where a small airplane and helicopter collided over the Hudson River. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Emergency workers are seen looking for debris in the Hudson river in New York, on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, after a helicopter and small plane crashed into each other in midair. The accident happened just after noon between Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J., and both aircraft crashed into the water.

Emergency workers look for debris and possible survivors in the Hudson River on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. A small plane collided with a Lilberty sightseeing helicopter carrying about a half-dozen people, sending debris into the river and onto the New Jersey waterfront.

Authorities move to the scene of an accident in the Hudson River after a small plane collided with a helicopter. Witnesses say the accident happened just after noon between Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 8, 2009)

Authorities move to the scene of an accident on the Hudson River where the Coast Guard said a small plane has collided with a helicopter overhead. Witnesses say the accident happened just after noon between Manhattan and Hoboken, N.J. (Aug. 8, 2009)