Two bodies found in wreckage

HOBOKEN, N.J. – Two bodies were pulled Tuesday from the wreckage of a small plane that collided with a sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson River, meaning all nine crash victims have been recovered, police said.

Medical examiners will determine whether the bodies are those of the plane’s pilot and a passenger, chief police spokesman Paul Browne said. Saturday’s crash killed three Pennsylvania residents on the plane and five Italian tourists and a pilot on the helicopter.

The last two bodies were found as recovery workers salvaged their first piece of the heavily damaged plane from the murky, fast-moving Hudson. The aircraft was found Monday in about 60 feet of water.

Divers contended with tricky currents, low visibility and the need to lift the wreckage carefully so potential clues weren’t disturbed. One of the plane’s wings, separated in the crash, was still missing, police said.

The Piper airplane collided with the helicopter in the congested airspace between New Jersey and Manhattan.

Investigators will check to see whether all the plane’s controls were working and whether there was power from the engine when the aircraft collided.

Investigators also planned to conduct interviews with controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport to try to piece together the plane’s flight route into the Hudson River corridor, where it smashed into the helicopter at 1,100 feet.