NEW YORK - Federal officials released images of a doomed New York City sightseeing helicopter that broke down mid-last month, killing six people.

A series of still photos taken from the surveillance camera video show the fuselage, which contains the engine and rotor, separate from the tail of the helicopter. The rotor blades and transmission then disengage from the cabin carrying passengers and pilots.

These images are included in the preliminary report on flights issued by the National Transportation Safety Commission.

"Several witnesses described the helicopter breaking and landing into the river and heard several loud bangs," the report said.

Justin Green, an aviation lawyer and former marine helicopter pilot, said the sequence of images shows the helicopter hitting his tail severely, and the tail boom occurred, suggesting that it is likely to be hit by the plane's main rotor blades while flying.

"It's obvious that some mechanical problems have caused the breakup to be promoted," he said. "We still don't know the exact problem, only the underlying cause."

He said the initial NTSB report ran about six pages and did not address the initial cause of the "crack on the plane". This may have been determined by a forensic examination of the wreck itself, including the rotor blades, the engine and the transmission.

Federal Aviation Administration records show that the aircraft is a Bell 206L-4 built in 2004 and involved maintenance issues with its transmission components last September.

The NTSB previously said that the aircraft operated by the New York Travel Company helicopter was not equipped with any video or data recording equipment.

But on Wednesday, it took photos beforehand that showed pilot Seankese Johnson wearing computer-enhanced sunglasses that originally had video and recording capabilities. However, the glasses have not been retracted.

According to the NTSB report, Johnson, a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL, obtained a commercial pilot license in 2023 and recorded 790 hours of flight time.

Retired NTSB investigator Al Yurman said he didn't seem to have experienced the bell of a suspended 206L-4, noting that the report found he was flying less than 50 hours on this type of aircraft.

"This type of work is very complicated," Yurman said. "I wish there was someone with more experience, but when the full report was released, we'll have more."

Johnson worked “10 days/10 days off” and the April 10 flight was the first day after 10 days off, the report said. The pilot and helicopter flights are also the eighth day of the day.

The plane is on a typical trip, starting from the Wall Street District around 3 p.m., flying north along the Manhattan skyline and then heading south towards the Statue of Liberty.

In less than 18 minutes, witnesses saw the tail and main rotor burst, and smoke gushed out from the rotating helicopter.

Tourism company New York helicopters have experienced bankruptcy in recent years and face ongoing lawsuits over the alleged debt.

The company said it is working with authorities to investigate. No one answered the phone or responded to an email seeking comments on Wednesday.

The crash occurred in a series of recent aircraft disasters and close calls, which has left some concerned about the safety of flying in the United States, and has also restored concerns about popular and expensive air travel in New York City.

Since 2005, five commercial sightseeing helicopters have fallen into the Manhattan River due to mechanical failures, pilot errors or collisions, killing 20 people.

Agustin Escobar, 49; Mercy Montal, 39; Victor, 4, Mercedes,

Officials said Siemens liquidity rail infrastructure global CEO Escobar is in the New York area for business.

Montal, who worked for Siemens Energy and was the granddaughter of the former president of the famous Barcelona Football Club, flew around to meet him with his children.

Mercedes will be 9 years old the day after the crash.