New York chopper crash: Bag strap may be to blame, says pilot

The strap on a passenger's bag may have triggered a helicopter crash that killed five passengers in New York City, the sole survivor has said.

Pilot Richard Vance, 33, was the only person to come out alive when the chopper crashed into the East River on Sunday evening.

Multiple sources report that Vance told police a misplaced bag may have accidentally activated the helicopter's emergency fuel shut-off switch.

The switch, which is used in the event of a helicopter catching fire, may have been the cause of the sudden engine failure.

Vance headed to the river to avoid crashing on a crowded street, but was the only person aboard to escape before the chopper filled with water and sank.

The five passengers were all still harnessed in when their bodies were recovered.

Meanwhile, eerie footage has emerged from one of the victims, shot just minutes before the crash that claimed his life.

Trevor Cadigan, 26, filmed himself and his fellow passengers upon take-off.

One of the other victims gave the camera a thumbs-up.

The other victims have been confirmed to be Dallas firefighter Brian McDaniel, Argentinean tourist Carla Vallejos Blancos, and New Yorkers Tristan Hill and Daniel Thompson.

The charter service, Liberty Helicopters, has been involved in two other high-profile crashes in New York.

In 2009 one of its choppers collided with a small plane, killing nine people.

Two years earlier, another of its helicopters crashed in the Hudson River, though all of the people aboard survived.