Five families from Spain and the pilot were killed. We celebrated our birthday Thursday afternoon when we realized an unimaginable tragedy, with the intention of being a helicopter joyride across Manhattan.
Overnight, authorities worked to recover the wreckage overnight as questions remained about what caused the sudden crash that appeared to be broken into the air and plunged into the Hudson River.
Here’s what we know so far:
crash
The Bell 206 tourist helicopter departed from the Wall Street heliport at 2:59pm on Thursday, flew south, then flew north up the Hudson River along the Manhattan coastline.
At 3:08pm, the helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge and flew south along the New Jersey coastline. Shortly afterwards, “the aircraft lost control and hit the water just a few feet away from the shore of the pier, a park in Hoboken,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tish said at a press conference Thursday.
Around 3:17pm, a call was made to report a helicopter crash on the Hudson River near the New Jersey coastline off Hoboken.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference Thursday that all six victims, including three children, were pulled out of the water and died.
Video footage of the Crush showed a moment when Chopper seemed to fall apart and stopped his mind, appearing to have been defeated by Hudson. The helicopter rotor blades fell into the water separately.
Witnesses reported that something broke and heard a loud noise reminiscent of an engine failure.
Officials said the helicopter is run by the tour company New York Helicopter.
Michael Ross, CEO of the New York Helicopter Tour, told the Telegraph that the pilot said he needed fuel before the crash.
“He (the pilot) called for him to land, need fuel and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but not 20 minutes later,” Ross told the paper, adding, “We’re all devastated.”
Skyport, one of the companies that manage helipads from where Chopper left, told NBC News:
“Our minds are directed at the family and friends of all those affected by this horrifying incident. We are working with all the right agencies and thanking all the first responders for their efforts,” Skyport added.
Victims
Agustin Escobar and Merz Campulvi Montal, a couple from Spain, have been identified as two adult victims who died in the crash.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the couple and their three children have died in a helicopter crash.
Escobar was a senior executive at German technology company Siemens and CEO of the railway infrastructure at Siemens Mobility Division. According to the company’s announcement, he was previously CEO and president of Siemens Spain.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic crash of the helicopter that has lost life to Agustin Escobar and his family. Our sincere, saddened dol’s opinion comes to all their loved ones,” a Siemens AG spokesman said.
Montal was celebrating her 40th birthday at the time of the crash, Jersey City Mayor Stephen Flop said in X.
Flop explained that Escobar was in town on a business trip and that his family had taken off to extend the trip and spend several days in New York City. He said the family flew tourists in honor of Montal’s birthday, along with children under 11.
The third adult victim is believed to be a Chopper pilot.
investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the case.
It’s not immediately clear what caused the crash.
Recovery efforts were underway from Thursday to Friday to pull fragments of the helicopter that fell from the river. The aircraft body was recovered, Flop said in X.
NBC aviation analyst Jeff Gutsetti said on NBC’s “Today” show that the weather doesn’t seem to be a factor in the crash on Friday, but said there are gusts and winds in the area.
“Something happened suddenly, as the pilot had no chance to make forced landings or Mayday calls,” he said.
“We are looking at some kind of hardware issue that could have been spurred by improper pilot responses, which could have been spurred by something like a bird attack.
Guzzetti pointed out that the mast marks are colliding with the incident – when the rotor hub collides with the main rotor mast – but the remains must be combed to confirm.
