What a family with young children flew into New York City from Barcelona Spain, they were ready for an epic vacation. The first step was to take a tour of the city in a helicopter, but it would end in tragedy.
It happened on Thursday afternoon when the helicopter that was providing a sightseeing tour plunged into the Hudson River. It happened across from Manhattan, and all six people on board were killed.
Included among the dead were three children, the mother and father, and the helicopter pilot. This is the most deadly helicopter crash that happened in New York City and the surrounding area in the last seven years.
The Spanish family, which made up five of the victims were identified as: the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, Agustín Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí; and their children, who were 11, five, and four. Reports were that they were celebrating the ninth birthday of one of the girls and the 40th birthday of the mother.
Before the helicopter took flight, the family posed for photos in front and were very excited about the sightseeing tour they were going to take. They were smiling big, but unfortunately, they would fall victim to tragedy.
According to some video footage that was captured, the helicopter was spiraling out of the air and then crashed into the Hudson River. It happened just off Jersey City, New Jersey, and the helicopter was heading into the water at high speed.
According to some eyewitnesses, a loud bang was heard when the incident started, and when the helicopter hit the water, at least one of its rotor blades was missing. One witness was a worker at a restaurant along the river, Lesly Camacho. She said: “There was a bunch of smoke coming out. It was spinning pretty fast, and it landed in the water really hard.”
All of the bodies of those who were on board were able to be recovered from the helicopter. The chopper was upside down in the Hudson River after it crashed.
New York police Commissioner, Jessica Tisch said: “Four victims were pronounced dead on scene, and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries.”
The helicopter, which was a Bell 206 flew sightseeing tours around New York City. It had taken off from the Wall Street heliport, passed close to the Statue of Liberty, and then flew up the Hudson River. 16 minutes after it took off, it was in the water.
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez went on X to offer his condolences. He wrote: “We have had devastating news about the helicopter accident in the River Hudson.
“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.”
The aircraft was a lease from a company in Louisiana and the chief executive officer, Michael Roth, said he wasn’t sure how the helicopter was able to split apart in midair. What he did confirm is that the chopper was out of fuel a few minutes into the trip and he revealed the final radio call made by the pilot.
Roth said: “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.”
He began receiving calls from other pilots who were flying in the area and said that the helicopter was ‘upside down’.
Roth said: “We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying. The death of the child of any human being is a monumental disaster.”