He said he complimented the pilot on the landing, but the pilot said it could have been smoother.
“I said, ‘Well, it could have been worse, too,’” Berthelet said.
Another boater brought the family back to shore, and they were all calm, he said.
“They all seemed very healthy. They were all shocked, of course,” Berthelet said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter, a Bell 206, is registered to New York Helicopter, which offers sightseeing tours ranging from $139 per person for a 15-minute flight to $295 per person for a 25-minute flight. A call to the company went unanswered.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
In 2009, a US Airways flight landed safely on the Hudson after striking geese. All 155 people aboard survived.