The identifies of the six victims of the deadly helicopter crash in the Hudson River are being revealed, as the aircraft is removed from the waters between New York and New Jersey.
A family of five visiting from Spain was killed when something went catastrophically wrong 18 minutes into their sightseeing tour on Thursday afternoon. They are Agustin Escobar Canadas, 49, Mercè Campruví Montal, 39, Victor Escobar Campruvi, 4, Mercedes Escobar Campruvi, 9, and a still unidentified child.
Their pilot was identified as 36-year-old Sean Johnson, who was also killed.
German industrial conglomerate Siemens previously identified Escobar Canadas as a company executive, and said he died with his wife and their three young children.
Moments before they boarded the helicopter, the family posed for a photo on the helipad.
New York Helicopter Tours
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the family was visiting the city to celebrate one of the children’s birthdays on Friday.
“So this is probably part of the normal tourist attraction of seeing the city from the skyline,” the mayor said in an interview with Fox 5 New York. “But it’s just a real unfortunate situation. And our heart goes out to the family members.”
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said Escobar Canadas was in the area on business and his family flew in to extend the trip. He said the mother was also celebrating her 40th birthday.
“Take a moment today + think about this family + your family. These situations are always very difficult + sad,” Fulop wrote on social media.
According to LinkedIn, Escobar Canadas worked for Siemens for more than 27 years, most recently as global CEO for rail infrastructure. His wife worked in a different division of the same company as a global manager.
Siemens issued a statement overnight saying, “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.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also reacted to news of the crash on social media, writing in Spanish, “I share in the grief of the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time.”
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The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating what went wrong, and the NTSB is expected to provide an update Friday afternoon.
The flight departed from the Wall Street heliport at 3 p.m. and radar data shows it flew north along the Manhattan skyline, then back south toward the Statue of Liberty.
New York City officials say the helicopter went out of control minutes after takeoff before plummeting into the water near the New Jersey side of the river.
“The helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge and then turned again to fly south along the New Jersey shoreline. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft lost control and hit the water just a few feet off the coast of Pier A Park in Hoboken,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Cellphone video captured the inverted sightseeing helicopter falling into the river. Witnesses said the aircraft’s rotor blades were already detached by the time it hit the water.
“We take thousands of tourist flights, there are many flights that are here, and helicopters are safe,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on social media that the helicopter was not getting air traffic support at the time because it was in a special flight rules area, but it did receive support from LaGuardia Airport before the crash.
The Bell 206 helicopter is owned by Louisiana-based Meridian Helicopters, which sells, leases and refurbishes helicopters. It was operated by New York Helicopter, which has been in business for 28 years.
“I don’t know anything how this went down. The only thing I can tell you, we are devastated, my wife hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon. We’re a small company,” said New York Helicopter CEO Michael Roth. “I’m a father and a grandfather, and we’re just devastated.”
NTSB records show another New York Helicopter-owned aircraft made an emergency landing on the Hudson in 2013. The pilot managed to land safely and the passengers, a family of Swedes, were not injured.
The agency found a maintenance issue and engine lubrication anomaly led to a power cutoff in that incident.
