A shocking helicopter crash over the Hudson River leaves experts investigating a possible rotor blade separation as the cause, killing a family of five and their pilot.
A family’s first day in New York ends in tragedt over the Hudson River
A devastating New York helicopter crash has left six people dead — a sightseeing family of five and their pilot.
The aircraft plunged into the Hudson River in what experts are calling an ‘unrecoverable event
The victims include Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive from Spain, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children aged 4, 5, and 11.
The family had just arrived from Barcelona. They enjoyed their first day in New York with a scenic helicopter tour of landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and George Washington Bridge.
The helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter, took off from the Wall Street Heliport. It flew for about 16 minutes before disaster struck around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday.
Expets believed the main rotor blades may have detached mid-night
Dramatic video footage captured the moment a rotor blade detached and fell into the river.
This lead investigators to a chilling theory: the main rotor blades may have separated and struck the tail of the aircraft, causing a catastrophic failure.
“From the footage, it appears that the main rotor struck the body of the helicopter, cutting off the tail… which created an unrecoverable event,” said Jim Brauchle, a former military aviator and attorney with Motley Rice LLC.
He explained that two main factors could account for such a failure: mechanical malfunction or excessive maneuvering.
However, he emphasized that a full investigation is still needed
“Having previously represented the families of tourists killed during a helicopter tour over the Hudson River, my heart goes out to the families at this catastrophic time,” Brauchle added.
A pilot’s fuel warning may have been the first sign of trouble
Before the crash, the 36-year-old pilot (whose name has not been released) reportedly radioed in a fuel warning.
He said that the aircraft was low and that he was returning to refuel.
“He 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,” said Michael Roth, 71, the owner of New York Helicopter.
Roth added that based on footage, the rotor blades appeared to be missing as the helicopter descended — something he said he’s “never seen in 30 years” of aviation.
“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down is that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” he told the New York Post.
“The only thing I could guess – I got no clue – is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed.” he added.
Aviation analysts say the crash was ‘unrecoverable’ after rotor separation
According to aviation analyst Tristani, if the rotor assembly separated mid-flight, the helicopter would have become essentially a “falling brick.”
“If that articulating head actually separated from the aircraft, the aircraft was doomed. There’s no possibility of that aircraft ever having made a normal type of landing,” Tristani told Fox 5.
He added, “When you throw a blade, one blade or the entire head — no, you’re just a falling brick.”
Witness recall sonic booms and the helicopter ‘splitting in half’
Eyewitness accounts painted a horrifying scene. Several reported hearing a “sonic boom” . They saw the helicopter split in half before crashing near Pier 40.
“Oh my god.,” said one witness, watching in shock as the chopper fell into the river.
Footage later showed the helicopter sinking into the Hudson as emergency responders scrambled to the site.
By nightfall, cranes were seen lifting mangled metal from the water. While divers were still searching for unrecovered parts of the aircraft.
Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, with two others taken to hospital, where they later succumbed to their injuries, confirmed NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.