Funeral held in Spain for family killed in Hudson River helicopter crash
Agustin Escobar, 49, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, and their three children, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10, were killed on April 10 when the helicopter they were taking a sightseeing tour in broke apart midair and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey.
The tour was intended to celebrate the middle child's birthday.
Seankese 'Sean' Johnson, a 36-year-old U.S. Navy veteran and the helicopter's pilot, was also killed in the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded New York Helicopter, the tour company, days after the crash and put temporary flight restrictions around the crash site.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the chopper had no flight recorders and hadn't been inspected in over a month.
At least 38 people have died in helicopter accidents in New York City since 1977.
Tuesday's funeral was held at a Barcelona church where a capacity crowd, including Catalonia's regional leader Salvador Illa and Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, mourned the family.
'We have been in pain for the last 11 days, but they will always remain in our memories and remind us from up high to never lose our ability to smile,' Joan Camprubi, the woman's father, said during the service.
The service concluded with a slideshow of happier moments in the family's life while Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' played over speakers.
Escobar was global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, while his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal worked for Siemens Energy, a separate company.
'We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones,' Siemens said in a statement earlier this month.
_____
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
16 hours ago
- CBS News
FAA faces critical shortage of air traffic controllers. Here's a look into methods to retain and train them.
The United States is facing a shortage of approximately 3,000 air traffic controllers as many trainees quit before completing their certification, contributing to travel delays at airports across the country this summer. The Federal Aviation Administration's training facility in Oklahoma City serves as the sole location where the agency trains new controllers, but the program faces significant challenges with about 35% of students failing to complete the intensive three-month course. If someone fails, they are not eligible to try again, according to Chris Wilbanks, who oversees training and the FAA's efforts to address the controller shortage. "It's one and done," Wilbanks said. The FAA is working to reduce its training washout rate by adding a mentoring program to help students during their roughly three months at the FAA training center. The agency has also streamlined the application process, and expects more than 2,000 students this year — the most ever. However, a CBS News data review found that more than 90% of air traffic control towers in the U.S. are understaffed. The training program includes traditional methods such as tabletop exercises where students use handheld model planes to simulate air traffic scenarios — a technique that may appear outdated but remains effective, according to Wilbanks. "It slows things down for them. It gives them an opportunity to learn the airspace," Wilbanks said. The FAA is modernizing its approach with immersive tower simulators installed at 95 facilities nationwide, reducing controller certification time by 27%. These simulators allow for real-time training scenarios that can be implemented within a week of actual events occurring. Training exercises demonstrate the complexity of air traffic control, with controllers managing multiple aircraft simultaneously, some circling, others taxiing for takeoff, and others approaching to land. Precision in communication is crucial, since a single missing word in radio transmissions can create significant safety concerns. "That is an absolute crucial part to the training. It slows things down for 'em. It gives 'em an opportunity to learn the airspace," said Wilbanks. The FAA is also expanding a program to eight colleges, allowing students to complete basic air traffic control training at their schools rather than traveling to Oklahoma City. Even after completing initial training, new controllers face an additional two years or more of on-the-job training before achieving full certification, highlighting the lengthy process required to address the current shortage.
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
FAA faces critical shortage of air traffic controllers. Here's a look into methods to retain and train them
The United States is facing a shortage of approximately 3,000 air traffic controllers as many trainees quit before completing their certification, contributing to travel delays at airports across the country this summer. The Federal Aviation Administration's training facility in Oklahoma City serves as the sole location where the agency trains new controllers, but the program faces significant challenges with about 35% of students failing to complete the intensive three-month course. If someone fails, they are not eligible to try again, according to Chris Wilbanks, who oversees training and the FAA's efforts to address the controller shortage. "It's one and done," Wilbanks said. The FAA is working to reduce its training washout rate by adding a mentoring program to help students during their roughly three months at the FAA training center. The agency has also streamlined the application process, and expects more than 2,000 students this year — the most ever. However, a CBS News data review found that more than 90% of air traffic control towers in the U.S. are understaffed. The training program includes traditional methods such as tabletop exercises where students use handheld model planes to simulate air traffic scenarios — a technique that may appear outdated but remains effective, according to Wilbanks. "It slows things down for them. It gives them an opportunity to learn the airspace," Wilbanks said. The FAA is modernizing its approach with immersive tower simulators installed at 95 facilities nationwide, reducing controller certification time by 27%. These simulators allow for real-time training scenarios that can be implemented within a week of actual events occurring. Training exercises demonstrate the complexity of air traffic control, with controllers managing multiple aircraft simultaneously, some circling, others taxiing for takeoff, and others approaching to land. Precision in communication is crucial, since a single missing word in radio transmissions can create significant safety concerns. "That is an absolute crucial part to the training. It slows things down for 'em. It gives 'em an opportunity to learn the airspace," said Wilbanks. The FAA is also expanding a program to eight colleges, allowing students to complete basic air traffic control training at their schools rather than traveling to Oklahoma City. Even after completing initial training, new controllers face an additional two years or more of on-the-job training before achieving full certification, highlighting the lengthy process required to address the current shortage.
USA Today
20 hours ago
- USA Today
Small plane crashes at Ohio airport after landing gear fails
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a small plane crashed in Ohio. A 2021 Hatz Bantam biplane was attempting to land on the southern runway at Sandusky County Regional Airport around 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, the agency said. As the plane touched down, it made a hard landing and veered off the runway, causing the landing gear to collapse, the FAA said. A 78-year-old man operating the plane was uninjured, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a news release. The pilot was wearing a seatbelt harness and eye goggles at the time of the crash. No other people were on board. Investigators do not believe impairment was involved in the incident and did not find any hazardous materials on the plane. Sandusky County Regional Airport is a county-owned public-use airport near Fremont, about 87 miles west of Cleveland. Another similar plane incident happened in Montana The incident comes a day after a small Socata TBM 700 crashed into multiple planes while attempting to land at an airport in Kalispell, Montana. The pilot of the jet, which had four people aboard, lost control of the aircraft and crashed onto the runway, striking several parked airplanes and igniting fires on numerous aircraft. No injuries were reported. Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@
