Investigators probing Hudson River helicopter crash in N.Y. that killed six

A New York City sightseeing helicopter carrying six people – including three children – broke apart in midair before plunging into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon.

A Spanish executive from Siemens, a technology company, and his family are among the dead. The pilot was also killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and local agencies are investigating.

While the cause of the crash remains unclear, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop told reporters Friday that investigators are weighing three “working theories”: birds, drones and mechanical failure.

Here’s what we know about the crash so far.

Siemens executive, his family on board

Agustín Escobar; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal; and their three children were on board the tour helicopter, according to a statement from Siemens, where the couple worked.

Escobar, 49, was global chief executive of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility and had been the CEO at Siemens Spain. Camprubí Montal was global commercialization manager, a spokesperson for the company said.

“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,” the company said in a statement.

Escobar had been in the United States for a business trip. His family flew over and extended the trip to celebrate the birthdays of Camprubí Montal and one of the children, Fulop said.

NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters that the pilot, 36-year-old Seankese Johnson, had 450 hours of flight experience.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the crash “an unimaginable tragedy.”

“I share in the pain of the victims’ loved ones during this gut-wrenching moment,” Sánchez posted on X.

Members of New York’s congressional delegation, including Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D), also expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.

The cause of the crash is still unknown

The NTSB, FAA and local agencies are investigating Thursday’s incident. The NTSB has a “go team” of investigators probing the crash. Seventeen NTSB personnel, including 10 investigators, began examining the wreckage Friday morning, Homendy said.

Eyewitness footage of the crash showed the helicopter cabin without rotor blades flipping upside down as it hurtled into the river with a loud thud. Pictures from the scene after the impact showed the aircraft upside down in the water, partially submerged as first responders worked around the wreck.

Homendy said such video footage is “very helpful for our investigators” and encouraged the public to share them with NTSB officials.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said on X that the tour helicopter was operating in a “Special Flight Rules Area” where no air traffic control services were provided.

On Truth Social, President Donald Trump offered condolences for the victims of the “terrible” and “horrendous” crash.

“God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!” he wrote.

The New York Police Department’s dive team is still searching for parts of the helicopter, including the main rotor, main transmission, roof structure and tail structure, Homendy said.

W. Greg Kierce, director of the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, told reporters Friday that divers are using sonar scanning to recover pieces of the helicopter and other items from the Hudson River.

The helicopter was on a sightseeing tour

The group had taken off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m. aboard a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV operated by a tour company called New York Helicopters, city officials said.

The helicopter reached the George Washington Bridge about 3:08 p.m. before turning back south along the New Jersey shoreline, officials said, citing online flight data. Minutes later, it lost control and crashed into the water near Hoboken, New Jersey, just feet from the edge of Pier A Park, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

“The helicopter hit the water, we believe, inverted, and the cabin piece was visible above the water,” Tisch said.

Fulop said the helicopter conducted multiple tours that day, raising concerns about whether the aircraft had been properly maintained.

This is the deadliest NYC helicopter crash since 2018

Thursday’s aviation disaster is the deadliest New York City helicopter crash in at least seven years.

In 2018, a charter helicopter plunged into the East River near Roosevelt Island, killing all five passengers. The passengers had boarded the open-door helicopter for a half-hour ride above New York City, but the aircraft crashed just 11 minutes into the trip.

Videos captured by witnesses at the time showed the helicopter descending quickly, capsizing and tilting onto its side, with its rotor blades still spinning in the water. Only the pilot, who was able to free himself while underwater, survived.

That helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350, was a private charter commissioned for a photo shoot and owned by New Jersey-based Liberty Helicopters.

The parents of Trevor Cadigan, one of the victims of the deadly crash, settled a wrongful-death lawsuit with the aircraft’s owner and operator for $90 million in March.

At least 38 people have died in helicopter accidents in New York City since 1977, according to the Associated Press.

Homendy told reporters Friday that she believes sightseeing helicopters should be regulated. In 2021, the NTSB issued six safety recommendations for tour helicopters, noting that such aircraft, which carry thousands of passengers each year, are not held to the same maintenance, airworthiness and operational standards as other commercial aviation aircraft.

“This is not the first crash that has happened and the reality is that the airspace here is too crowded above a densely populated area to allow this,” Fulop wrote on X. “These tourist helicopters should not be allowed and hopefully this terrible tragedy brings some change so that it will never happen again to any other family.”