Three dead in Hudson crash had local ties

Members of a well-known local real estate family gathered privately yesterday to mourn the death of three of their own in the collision of a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson River on Saturday.

Steven Altman, 60, piloted the single-engine Piper that witnesses said clipped the helicopter carrying five tourists and one crew member, causing both aircraft to plunge into the river. All nine people on both aircraft were killed, according to authorities.

Altman, of Ambler; his brother Daniel, 49, of Dresher; and his 15-year-old nephew, Douglas, were in the airplane, officials said.

"They're a very fine family, a very good group of people - very hardworking, very generous," said Irving Altman, the men's uncle. "It's just a heartbreaking, terrible tragedy that my nephews died in such a tragic event."

The men's father, David Altman, 87, a decorated World War II veteran, is crushed, Irving Altman said.

"Can you imagine losing two sons and a grandson?" he asked. "It's a devastating, terrible tragedy."

The family did not respond to a phone message left at Steven Altman's home yesterday afternoon. At the gated community of large single-family houses where Steven Altman lived, police would not allow reporters to enter.

Steven and Daniel Altman were principals in the family business their father founded. The Altman Group included numerous firms involved in the development, construction, and management of residential properties across region.

"Their father started the business a generation ago and the sons grew it," said Sam Sherman, a developer in Philadelphia who knew and worked with some of the family members. "It is a loss to the industry. The family is just well regarded."

Insurance broker Ronald Lorch, who had worked with the Altmans for two decades, said, "They were just wonderful, terrific people. They are going to be missed by everyone both socially and in business."

The business started in 1949 in West Philadelphia. What began as a modest, family owned company rapidly flourished into a full-service real estate management, investment, and development conglomerate. It has grown to include properties across Eastern Pennsylvania, northern Delaware, and New Jersey.

Altman Management Co. operates more than 14,000 apartment houses through the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond, the company's Web site states.

"The Altmans have been an integral part of the growth and redevelopment of Philadelphia," Gov. Rendell said through a spokesman yesterday. "This is sad news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire . . . family."

Toll Bros. vice chairman Bruce Toll said, "The Altmans are a well-known family in Philadelphia going back 50 years. They were all involved in Jewish charities." (Toll is also chairman of Philadelphia Media Holdings L.L.C., owner of The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com.)

Among the Altmans' various community and philanthropic causes is Angel Flight, a nonprofit organization composed of volunteer pilots and others who work to provide free air transportation for seriously ill patients who need treatment far from home. David Altman serves on the local chapter's board.

Steven Altman was on the board of the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network and was involved in raising money for uninsured women in need of maternity care through the Green Tree Community Health Foundation, a local nonprofit.

Hours after the crash was reported, Douglas Altman's friends posted a video tribute to him on YouTube. It featured dozens of pictures of the tall, shaggy-haired teen at various spots in Alaska, Hawaii, and California, where he went this summer as part of a five-week tour with 50 teenagers that ended July 31.

"His smile was contagious, and he could always make you laugh," Kim Komora, a friend from the tour, said in a Facebook message. "Doug was one of those guys everyone wanted to be around, just being in his presence put a smile on your face."

A student at Upper Dublin High School, Douglas was at a sleepover Friday night at a friend's house in Alpine, N.J.

The four boys and two girls stayed up late making s'mores, eating Chinese food, swimming in the backyard pool, and watching movies - the comedy Pineapple Express and the thriller Taken.

After the girls went to sleep upstairs, Douglas and friend Alex Sunshine stayed up talking in the basement until 5 a.m.

"The last morning we woke up together and we went to the front door to say goodbye to each other," Sunshine, 15, said. "We hugged each other and he said he'd see me soon."

The boys had plans to go to a Phillies game together.

Douglas went to Teterboro Airport, where he met his father and uncle for the flight to the Jersey Shore. The crash happened shortly after the plane took off Saturday.