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At around 10:30 a.m. yesterday in Auckland, New Zealand, a helicopter pilot, Greg Gribble, clipped a wire as he was attempting to install a seven-story tall Christmas tree at the Auckland Viaduct, sending the chopper crashing to the ground. Somehow, between workers on the ground, people watching the installation, and the two men in the cockpit, nobody was hurt.

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NBC’s New York local affiliate WNBC aired exclusive home video of the tragic collision between a small airplane and a tourist helicopter during their newscast tonight. The video, shot by a tourist aboard a boat on the Hudson captures the moments before and the stunning impact when the small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter shortly after noon this past Saturday. Video after the jump…

A tourist helicopter and small plane collided in mid-air over the Hudson River on Saturday — showering debris over the area and sending horrified onlookers to their Twitter accounts. The mainstream media joined in with live breaking news coverage shortly thereafter. But when a story like this breaks there is just no beating Twitter.