A federal report says a helicopter that crashed into the East River off New York City on a sightseeing tour last year was carrying too much weight.

Thursday’s report from the National Transportation Safety Board doesn’t conclude what caused the crash. That will likely be determined in two months.

But the report says the Bell 206 chopper was carrying an estimated 3,228 pounds when it crashed shortly after takeoff in September 2011. The aircraft’s capacity was 3,200 pounds. The accident killed three people. The pilot and one passenger survived.

The NTSB report says 56-year-old pilot Paul Dudley told investigators he asked passengers’ weights and calculated they wouldn’t be too heavy. But the surviving passenger said Dudley didn’t ask or calculate the total weight.

Dudley didn’t immediately return a message Thursday.

The group was on a sightseeing flight when the pilot lost control after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport.

YWN PHOTO LINK #1: Click HERE for photos of the rescue operation.

YWN PHOTO LINK #2: Click HERE for photos of the chopper being removed from the water

(AP)