In the most recent aviation tragedy in U.S. history, a sightseeing helicopter in New York City broke apart in midair Thursday and fell upside-down into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists, according to officials.
A person briefed on the inquiry told that in addition to the pilot, the fatalities were Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, a worldwide manager at an energy technology company, and three children.
The individual spoke on condition of anonymity and was not permitted to publicly discuss the investigation’s specifics.
The couple and their kids were seen grinning as they boarded shortly before the trip took off in pictures that were uploaded to the helicopter company’s website.
The less than 18-minute trip took off from a downtown heliport at approximately 3 p.m. It sailed north along the skyline of Manhattan, then back south toward the Statue of Liberty, according to radar data.
Parts of the airplane were seen falling through the air and into the water close to Jersey City, New Jersey’s waterfront in the accident footage.
The helicopter’s crash into the Hudson is described by witnesses.
Bruce Wall, a witness there, claimed to have seen the main rotor and tail come off as it “fell apart” in midair. As it dropped, the main rotor continued to spin without the aircraft.
Dani Horbiak heard what sounded like “several gunshots in a row, almost, in the air” when she was at her home in Jersey City.
She watched the helicopter “splash in several pieces into the river” as she peered out the window.
Lesly Camacho, a hostess at a restaurant by the river in Hoboken, New Jersey, said the chopper was spinning erratically with “a bunch of smoke coming out” before it crashed into the water.
An NYPD helicopter pilot is heard over the air traffic control radio saying, “Be advised, you do have an aircraft down.” Holland Tunnel. Keep your eyes out for anyone in the water, please.
“Hey Finest,” a reference to the NYPD’s call sign, is said by someone five minutes later. “What’s going on over there by the Holland Tunnel?”
“The ship went down,” another person answers.
Near the end of a lengthy maintenance pier for a ventilation tower supporting the Holland Tunnel, rescue boats circled the submerged aircraft within minutes of impact. Using a floating crane, recovery workers pulled the wrecked helicopter out of the ocean shortly after 8 p.m.
According to Mayor Eric Adams, the bodies were also found in the river.
According to officials, New York Helicopters was the operator of the trip. At the company’s New Jersey and New York offices, no one picked up the phone.
According to the Post, he stated, “The only thing I know from watching a video of the helicopter falling down is that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter.”
“These are machines, and they break,” he remarked, adding that in his thirty years in the helicopter industry, he had not witnessed such an event.
The helicopter was recognized by the Federal aircraft Administration as a Bell 206, a model that is often employed in government and commercial aircraft, including by police, TV news stations, and tour operators. Before being modified for other applications, it was first created for the US Army. Over time, thousands have been produced.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, an investigation will be conducted.
Tragic events befall a Spanish family.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Escobar spent more than 27 years working for the IT giant Siemens, most recently as the worldwide CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility. He briefly served as Siemens Spain’s president and CEO in late 2022.
He thanked his family for being “my endless source of energy and happiness, for their unconditional support, love… and patience” in a post about the role.
Escobar frequently traveled abroad for work, notably to India and the UK in the last month, and frequently wrote about the value of sustainability in the rail sector. Since 2023, he has served as vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain.
What might have led to the collision?
The pilot had little chance to salvage the helicopter due to a “catastrophic mechanical failure,” according to the crash’s video, according to aviation lawyer Justin Green, a former Marine Corps helicopter pilot.
According to Green, it’s probable that the main rotors of the helicopter collided with the tail boom, shattering it and allowing the cabin to fall freely.
“They were dead as soon as whatever happened happened,” Green stated. “There’s no indication they had any control over the craft. No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lifts. It’s like a rock falling to the ground. It’s heartbreaking.”
Source: apnews
