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Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Haunting images of doomed New York helicopter wreckage after crash kills six people
The Bell 206L-4 - used by sightseeing tour firm New York Helicopter - broke apart midair and crashed, killing Agustin Escobar, who was the CEO of Siemens Spain, and his family These eerie pictures capture the wreckage of the doomed helicopter which broke apart midair and crashed into the Hudson River. Six people, including Siemens boss Agustin Escobar and his family, died when the sightseeing chopper plunged into the New York City water last month. An investigation is underway into the horror, as part of which a series of still photographs taken from surveillance camera video have been released. The haunting images, included in the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), show the fuselage, containing the engine and rotors, separating from the helicopter's tail. The rotor blades and the transmission then detach from the cabin that's carrying the passengers and the pilot. The NTSB's report reads: "Several witnesses described hearing several loud 'bangs' emanating from the helicopter before it broke up and descended into the river." The document also said photos taken beforehand show the pilot, Seankese Johnson, was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which would have had video and audio recording capability. The glasses have not been recovered. Justin Green, an aviation lawyer and former Marine helicopter pilot, said he understands the tail boom failed mid flight. This spar connects tail surfaces to a fuselage. The expert added: "It's clear that some mechanical issue precipitated the breakup." The initial report, which runs about six pages, does not address the initial cause of the breakup. That, Mr Green said, will likely be determined by a forensic examination of the wreckage itself, including the rotor blades, the engine and transmission. "A tail strike could be caused by a pilot not handling a loss of power emergency and allowing the rotor rpm to decay, which makes the rotors flap up and down more and that can cause a strike," Mr Green said. The aircraft, a Bell 206L-4 built in 2004, also appeared to be fairly old and well used, according to the aviation lawyer. At the time of the crash, the helicopter had operated about 50 hours since its last inspection on February 27, according to the NTSB report. The helicopter's airframe accrued nearly 13,000 total hours of operation, and the engine accrued more than 23,000 hours. Federal Aviation Administration records also show the aircraft had a maintenance issue last September involving its transmission assembly. Mr Green added: "The NTSB will be looking at the overhaul and maintenance records to make sure everything is up to date." The NTSB said previously that the aircraft, operated by tour company New York Helicopter, was not equipped with any video or data recording devices. However, it has now emerged Mr Johnson, the 36-year-old pilot, was wearing the computer-augmented sunglasses. The former Navy SEAL received his commercial pilot's license in 2023 and had logged 790 hours of flight time, the NTSB report said. But he didn't appear to be particularly experienced flying a Bell 206L-4, observed Al Yurman, a retired NTSB investigator. The agency said in its report Mr Johnson had fewer than 50 hours of flight in that type of aircraft. Mr Yurman continued: "It's quite sophisticated for that type of work. I would prefer to have someone more experienced, but we'll know more when the full report comes out." The report said Mr Johnson worked a '10 days on/10 days off schedule' and the April 10 flight was his first day back after 10 days off. The flight was also the eighth that day for the pilot and the helicopter. The aircraft was on a typical tour, departing from the downtown heliport by Wall Street around 3pm and flying north along the Manhattan skyline before heading south toward the Statue of Liberty. Less than 18 minutes into the flight, witnesses saw the tail and main rotor break away and smoke pouring from the spinning helicopter. In recent years New York Helicopter, the tour company, went through bankruptcy and faced ongoing lawsuits over alleged debts. The company has said it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation. No one answered the phone at its office or responded to an email seeking comment on Wednesday. The crash was among a recent string of aircraft disasters and close calls that left some people worried about the safety of flying in the US It also revived concerns about the popular and costly aerial tours over New York City. Five commercial sightseeing helicopters have gone down in the rivers around Manhattan since 2005 as a result of mechanical failure, pilot error or collision, killing 20 people. The April 10 crash killed Mr Escobar's family from Barcelona; his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their children Victor, four, Mercedes, eight, and ten-year-old Agustin. Officials have said Mr Escobar, global CEO of the rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, was in the New York area on business. Ms Montal, who worked for Siemens Energy and was the granddaughter of a former president of the famous Barcelona FC soccer club, flew in with their children to meet him.
Boston Globe
11-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
What we know about the Hudson River helicopter crash in N.Y. that killed 6
Here's what we know about the crash so far. Siemens executive Agustín Escobar and his family were on board Agustín Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal; and their three children were on board the tour helicopter, according to a statement from Siemens, where the couple worked. Escobar, 49, was global chief executive of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility and had been the CEO at Siemens Spain. Camprubí Montal was global commercialization manager, a spokesperson for the company said. Advertisement '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,' the company said in a statement. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the crash 'an unimaginable tragedy.' 'I share in the pain of the victims' loved ones during this gut-wrenching moment,' Sánchez posted on X. The name of the sixth person aboard, the pilot, has not yet been released. The cause of the crash is still unknown The National Transportation Safety Board and local agencies are investigating Thursday's deadly incident. Eyewitness footage of the crash showed the helicopter cabin without rotor blades flipping upside down as it hurtled into the river with a loud thud. Pictures from the scene after the impact showed the aircraft upside down in the water, partially submerged as first responders worked around the wreck. Advertisement The helicopter was on a sightseeing tour The group had taken off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m. aboard a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV operated by a tour company called New York Helicopters, city officials said. The helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge about 3:08 p.m. before turning back south along the New Jersey shoreline, officials said, citing online flight data. Minutes later, it lost control and crashed into the water near Hoboken, New Jersey, just feet from the edge of Pier A Park, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. 'The helicopter hit the water, we believe, inverted, and the cabin piece was visible above the water,' Tisch said.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
NYC Hudson River helicopter crash was birthday event for family, as pilot radioed he ‘needed fuel'
The Spanish family killed in a horrific helicopter crash into the Hudson River had hired the high-flying sightseeing tour as part of a birthday celebration for one of their children, officials said Friday as the helicopter owner told reporters the pilot was low on fuel moments before the tragedy occurred. Tourists Agustin Escobar, the CEO of technology giant Siemens Spain, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three young children were all killed in the crash along with the pilot. The family had come to New York City to celebrate the birthday of one of their children, Mayor Adams said Friday. 'We know the ages of the young people involved — 4, 8 and 10 — and unfortunately the 8-year-old it was his birthday today, so this was probably part of a normal tourist attraction of seeing the city from the skyline, but just a real unfortunate situation,' Adams said on Fox 5's 'Good Day New York.' The 36-year-old pilot had radioed moments before plummeting into the water that he was desperately low on fuel and was heading back to the helipad, New York Helicopter CEO Michael Roth told The Telegraph. The pilot made the radio transmission just before the 3:15 p.m. crash on the New Jersey side of the river. The helicopter took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in lower Manhattan just before 3 p.m. 'He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn't arrive,' Roth told The Telegraph. 'I got a call from my manager and my downtown heliport and she said she heard there was a crash, and then my phone blew up from everybody. Then one of my pilots flew over the Hudson and saw the helicopter upside down.' 'The death of the child, of any human being, is a monumental disaster,' Roth told The Telegraph. 'We're all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.' When reached by the Daily News late Thursday, Roth refused to comment on the crash. 'I'm not going to say anything,' he said before hanging up on a reporter. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched investigations into the crash, Mayor Adams said in several interviews Friday. The copter in the fatal crash first headed up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge, where it turned around and then headed back south, flying along the New Jersey side of the river before suddenly dropping upside-down into the river near Hoboken, Mayor Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Thursday. The flight lasted less than 18 minutes, officials said. New York Helicopter filed for bankruptcy in 2019, claiming it had hundreds of thousands in debts. A large portion of the debts, about $114,000, were for 'repair services.' The company has mixed reviews on Yelp, with at least one customer complaining that the company didn't do proper safety checks before takeoff. Other customers said employees were rude and charged unexpected fees. 'Extreme negligence of security protocols that must be associated with a helicopter ride,' said customer Kumar Sourabh, who visited the Big Apple from California. 'I have been in a helicopter ride before and had a 180 degree opposite experience. There was no briefing provided on security measures. As soon as the aircraft landed, and without any notice or instructions, as the helicopter blades were running on full sound, the owner rushed to us and started to pull us down.' A Bell 206 helicopter owned by New York Helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in June 2013. The helicopter lost power, and the pilot made an emergency landing. No injuries were reported, and the NTSB found that a maintenance flub and an engine lubrication anomaly led to the power cutoff.
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Spanish Citizen Who Died in Hudson River Helicopter Crash Was Siemens Executive
A Spanish executive who died along with four members of his family in a helicopter crash near New York City on Thursday was a top Siemens official whose international career was celebrated in his homeland. The Consulate General of Spain in New York confirmed on Friday that five Spanish citizens — two parents and their three children — had died in the crash. Spanish officials identified the executive as Agustín Escobar. Officials have not named his wife or their children. President Pedro Sánchez of Spain described the accident — in which a sightseeing helicopter plunged into the Hudson River, killing everyone onboard — as 'an unimaginable tragedy.' 'I share the grief of the victims' loved ones at this heartbreaking time,' Mr. Sánchez said on social media in the early hours of Friday. The helicopter was touring New York City when it tumbled out of the sky and crashed into the river. Two of the passengers were alive when divers pulled them from the frigid water, but they later died, New York City's police commissioner, Jessica S. Tisch, said at a news conference. The pilot was also killed. The cause of the crash is under investigation, the police commissioner said. Mr. Escobar was born in Puertollano, a small city in central Spain, Emiliano García-Page, the region's leader, said on social media. The region had celebrated his achievements in 2023, naming him a 'favorite son.' On Friday morning, Mayor Miguel Ángel Ruiz of Puertollano said in a statement that the city 'mourns the loss of one of its most brilliant sons.' Mr. Escobar led Siemens' rail infrastructure division from the company's Berlin office, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he was the president and chief executive of Siemens Spain and previously worked for the technology giant in the United States and Brazil.
The Guardian
11-04-2025
- The Guardian
Spanish PM offers condolences after family of five killed in New York helicopter crash
Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has offered his condolences to friends and relatives of a Spanish family who died in New York on Thursday after their sightseeing helicopter crashed in the Hudson River, killing all aboard including the pilot. It emerged on Friday that the victims were Agustín Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí, and their three children, who were 11, five and four. The identity of the pilot has not yet been made public. The sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside down into the Hudson between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront shortly after 3pm ET, leading to a huge response from emergency crews. Videos posted on social media showed the aircraft mostly submerged, upside down in the water, and rescue vehicles crowding on to the streets on shore as emergency workers raced to save those onboard. 'We have had devastating news about the helicopter accident in the River Hudson,' Sánchez posted in a message on X on Friday. 'Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, lost their lives along with the pilot. It's an unimaginable tragedy. I share the pain of the victims' loved ones in this heartbreaking moment.' Spain's transport minister, Oscar Puente, also paid tribute, saying: 'Reading with horror that the victims of the awful helicopter accident in the US were Agustín Escobar and his family. I met him over the past year in his capacity at Siemens Spain. He was a charming, hard-working and talented person.' The German industrial conglomerate Siemens later confirmed that Escobar worked for the company as head of rail infrastructure at its mobility division. 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustín Escobar and his family lost their lives,' Siemens said in a statement. A person briefed on the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press (AP) that Camprubí was a global manager at an energy technology company. The New York mayor, Eric Adams, confirmed six people had been pronounced dead, including three children and three adults. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday evening, Adams said his thoughts were with the crash victims and their families. An investigation into the cause of the accident was continuing, he said. Jessica Tisch, the NYPD commissioner, said most of the passengers were already dead when they were removed from the water, but two passengers were taken to a nearby hospital, where they died soon after. Tisch said the Bell 206 helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter Tours, took off from a downtown helicopter pad at about 3pm and flew north over the Hudson. It turned south when it reached the George Washington gridge and crashed minutes later, hitting the water upside down and sinking near Lower Manhattan about 3.15pm, just off Hoboken, New Jersey. Witness Bruce Wall told the AP he saw the helicopter 'falling apart' in midair, with the tail and propeller coming off. The propeller was still spinning without the aircraft as it fell, he said. Lesly Camacho, a hostess at a restaurant along the river in Hoboken, New Jersey, said she had seen the helicopter spinning uncontrollably before it slammed into the water.
