The witnesses to a fatal helicopter crash in New York City’s Hudson River have recalled seeing the chopper break apart in mid-air before nosediving into the river in a “loud crash”.
All six people on board the helicopter died, including a Spanish family-of-five and the helicopter’s pilot. Siemens executive Agustin Escobar and his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal – also employed by Siemens and with close familial links to FC Barcelona – died alongside their three young children.
The cause of the disaster remains unclear, with witnesses recalling seeing the helicopter breaking apart in mid-air before plunging into the river. Experts believe a freak mechanical failure was behind the crash.
Bruce Wall, 28, described seeing the chopper “falling apart probably 15 feet before it actually fell and then the tail whipped off” and hearing the sound of “something breaking apart in mid-air,” according to the New York Times.
“The helicopter was still pretty loud and then just a loud, loud crash into water,” he added.
An unnamed woman said the “helicopter was a little bit nose down slightly, it kept spinning in the air” in quotes broadcast by BBC Radio 4.
President Donald Trump has offered his condolences and the National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation.
WATCH: Hudson river helicopter propellor ‘exploded and scattered,’ crash eyewitness says
Graig Graziosi11 April 2025 20:27
Helicopter charter company involved in New York crash that left six dead had previous issues
The New York City-based helicopter tour company involved in the deadly crash on Thursday has previous incidents of aircraft malfunctions, according to records with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The company, called New York Helicopter Charter, has been operating helicopter tours of New York City and New Jersey for more than 30 years. The business managed the Bell 206 aircraft that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon, killing all six passengers on board.
According to records with NTSB, New York Helicopter Charter was involved in two non-fatal incidents, one in 2013 in which a helicopter’s engine failed while five people were on board and another in 2015 in which a pilot made a “hard landing” while 20 feet in the air.
Graig Graziosi11 April 2025 20:07
An aviation analyst told NBC’s TODAY show on Friday that he does not believe weather contributed to the helicopter crash that killed six people on Thursday.
“There was some sort of sudden inflight failure that occurred to the point where the pilot didn’t have an opportunity to make a forced landing or a mayday call, so something happened abruptly,” Jeff Guzzetti said.
The analyst said that investigators were looking at potential hardware issues that could have contributed to or caused the crash.
“We’re looking at some sort of hardware issue that perhaps could have been prompted by an inappropriate pilot response, which could have been prompted by something like a bird strike. We just don’t know yet,” he said.
Graig Graziosi11 April 2025 19:34
Former pilot who flew for New York Helicopter says the company was diligent about mechanical upkeep
A former pilot and flight trainer for New York Helicopter — the company that owned the chopper that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing all six occupants — said the business had been diligent about safety during his time flying with the group.
“ Our maintenance was always on point,” the pilot, Michael Campbell told Gothamist. “Any issues we had were addressed … and I had a great working relationship with the FAA in Farmingdale [Long Island]. We did our conformity checks, you know, we did our periodic inspections.”
He noted that he had actually flown the Bell 206 helicopter that crashed, and noted that it was on lease from a company called Meridian Helicopter in Louisiana.
Graig Graziosi11 April 2025 19:00
Pilot of helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River was a former Navy SEAL
The wife of 36-year-old Sean Johnson said he was piloting the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon.
Kathryn Johnson spoke to Gothamist about her husband, revealing that he was a former Navy SEAL who “always wanted to fly” and had taken up aviation following his military career.
“ I’m just at loss for words. I don’t even know what happened,” Kathryn told the paper on Friday. “It’s just hard right now.”
Graig Graziosi11 April 2025 18:33
What we know about victims of Hudson River helicopter crash in New York
A family of five and the pilot have been identified as the six victims of a fatal helicopter crash in New York, after the aircraft plunged into the Hudson River.
The tourist helicopter broke apart midair on a trip around Manhattan before plummeting into the waters below on Thursday afternoon.
Agustin Escobar, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, global commercialization manager at Siemens Energy, and their children Agustín, 10, Mercè, 8 and Víctor, 4, were all killed.
The helicopter pilot is yet to be named.
Graig Graziosi11 April 2025 17:45
CEO of company that owned the helicopter shocked by the crash, insists inspections were done
The CEO of New York Helicopter, Michael Roth, spoke to CBS News about the Hudson River crash involving one of his aircraft.
Roth said investigators have thus far told him nothing about the crash.
“I don’t know anything how this went down,” he said.
Roth also said that he and his wife were “devastated” by the incident.
“My wife hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon,” he told the broadcaster on Thursday. “We’re a small company. I’m a father and a grandfather, and we’re just devastated. We have no clue what happened.”
When reporters asked him about the inspection protocol at the company, Roth insisted that his company abides by and exceeds safety regulations.
“We follow all the rules and more,” Roth said.
Graig Graziosi11 April 2025 17:30
The aftermath of the Hudson River helicopter crash in photos
Graig Graziosi11 April 2025 17:04
Helicopter plunged into water in ‘several pieces’, says witness
Witnesses have recalled seeing the helicopter plunge in “several pieces” into the Hudson River.
Dani Horbiak was at her Jersey City home when she heard what sounded like “several gunshots in a row, almost, in the air”.
Looking out of the window, she saw the chopper “splash in several pieces into the river”.
Lesley Camacho, a hostess at a restaurant along the river in Hoboken, New Jersey, recalled the helicopter spinning uncontrollable with “a bunch of smoke coming out” before slamming into the water.
Alex Croft11 April 2025 16:22
‘Obviously mechanical failure’, says pilot of same helicopter model
Dan Rice, who frequently flies in the same model of helicopter as the one which plummeted into the Hudson River, has said it was “obviously a catastrophic failure” which caused the crash.
Speaking to CBS News, he said: “Obviously, a catastrophic failure of the aircraft. That’s very obvious. Booms and noises like that indicate some sort of mechanical issue.”
“There’s one video in particular where you see the main component of the helicopter, the fuselage, upside down,” he added. “And what struck me, what scared me, is the main rotor system was gone.
“There’s no main rotor on the helicopter. And the tail boom was also gone, and it’s just a vessel at that point with no direction.”
Rice said he “can’t imagine” what could have led to the tail rotor – the system which prevents the helicopter spinning out of control – from falling off.
“We’ll wait for the investigation to give us those details, but from what I’ve seen, separation of the blades is what caused this chopper to go down. What led to the separation is what we have to find out,” he added.
Alex Croft11 April 2025 16:05
