A sightseeing tour meant to celebrate a child’s birthday ended in unimaginable heartbreak when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, killing a family of five and their pilot.
A birthday trip to New York ends in horror over the Hudson river
A birthday trip turned tragic when a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, killing a Spanish couple, their three kids, and the pilot.”
According to Spanish media outlet Antena3, the Escobar family had traveled from Barcelona to New York City to celebrate the ninth birthday of one of their daughters.
The victims were identified as Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children aged 4, 8, and 10. Their lives were cut short just hours into their first day exploring the Big Apple.
Scenic tour becomes fatal just minutes into flight
The aircraft, a Bell 206L-4 helicopter operated by local tour company New York Helicopter, took off from the Wall Street Heliport.
It began a routine sightseeing loop around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River toward the George Washington Bridge.
Additionally, flight data shows the chopper was airborne for only 16 minutes before it plunged into the river near Pier 40 at 3:15 p.m.
Heartbreaking images captured the family smiling and posing inside the helicopter just moments before the crash.
Experts say midair rotor blade failure likely caused the crash
Footage recorded by onlookers has revealed disturbing clues to the cause of the New York helicopter crash.
A rotor blade can be seen plummeting into the Hudson River moments before the aircraft begins to spiral out of control — an event aviation experts believe points to catastrophic mechanical 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 aviation attorney.
Brauchle noted that such rotor separation could be caused by either a mechanical failure or excessive maneuvering, but emphasized that an official investigation is needed to determine the precise cause.
“My heart goes out to the families. This type of failure is catastrophic and offers no time for recovery.”
Investigators point to a ‘falling brick’ scenario with no hope of recovery
Other aviation experts agree that the separation of the main rotor blades rendered the helicopter uncontrollable.
“If that articulating head separated from the aircraft, the aircraft was doomed,” aviation expert Tristani told Fox 5. “You’re just a falling brick.”
Additionally, a similar assessment came from Justin Green, a former Marine Corps helicopter pilot and aviation attorney.
“They were dead as soon as whatever happened happened,” said Green. “No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lift. It’s heartbreaking.”
Adding to the tragic timeline, the unidentified 36-year-old pilot radioed base shortly before the crash to report that the aircraft was running low on fuel and requested permission to land.
However, 20 minutes passed without arrival, and by then, the aircraft had vanished from radar.
Michael Roth, owner of New York Helicopter, said he was devastated and echoed other experts’ suspicions after reviewing crash footage.
“The main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” Roth told the New York Post. “I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years in this business. It could’ve been a bird strike, maybe rotor failure — I don’t know.”
Witnesses describe the Helicopter splitting apart in the air
Eyewitnesses near the Hudson River and across in Jersey City described the terrifying final moments of the doomed aircraft.
Some reported hearing what sounded like gunshots or a sonic boom, followed by the sight of the helicopter spinning violently. Then breaking apart midair before slamming into the water.
“The main rotor was still spinning — but it wasn’t attached to the helicopter,” said Bruce Wall, who watched the crash unfold from Jersey City.
“It was spinning with smoke coming out, then crashed into the river,” added Lesly Camacho, a restaurant hostess in Hoboken.
Emergency responders recover wreckage and launch full investigation
NYPD air traffic controllers quickly responded, confirming over radio, “You do have an aircraft down near the Holland Tunnel. Please keep your eyes open for anybody in the water.”
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, working late into the night.
Photos show mangled wreckage being hoisted from the Hudson River by cranes.
Despite immediate response efforts, all six occupants of the helicopter were confirmed dead — four at the scene, and two at the hospital.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop announced that search operations would continue the next day. Major components of the helicopter remained underwater.