New York City – A sightseeing helicopter carrying a family of tourists from Spain crashed into the Hudson River off Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, killing all six people on board.
Among the victims were Siemens executive Agustín Escobar, 49, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three young children.
Authorities said the helicopter broke apart in midair around 3:15 p.m. before plunging into the river near the New Jersey shoreline, in what officials called a rare accident.
Tourist helicopter plunges into Hudson, killing six
The Bell 206 helicopter took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m. for a popular aerial tour of New York City. The flight path took the chopper south toward the Statue of Liberty and then north along the Hudson River past Manhattan’s west side, reaching the vicinity of the George Washington Bridge. Shortly after the aircraft turned back south along the New Jersey shore, something went catastrophically wrong.
Witnesses reported seeing the sightseeing helicopter “falling apart” midair and then “spinning pretty fast”, with smoke billowing out, moments before it dropped into the water, according to the Associated Press.
Cellphone video circulating on social media showed the helicopter inverted as it descended, with parts of its rotor blades visibly missing.
“Shortly thereafter, the aircraft lost control and hit the water just a few feet off the coast of Pier A Park in Hoboken,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference, describing how the chopper went down near the Hoboken waterfront. It struck the river at high speed and landed upside down in the frigid water.
Multiple 911 calls came in around 3:17 p.m. New York City fire and police units rushed to the scene near Pier 40 in lower Manhattan and across the river in Hoboken. Divers and rescue crews pulled all six occupants from the wreckage.
Four people, including the pilot, died at the scene, and two children died shortly after at a hospital, officials said.
Victims identified as visiting family
By Thursday evening, authorities had identified the victims. The passengers were confirmed to be a family of five visiting from Barcelona, Spain: Agustín Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and the couple’s three children, ages 4, 5, and 11. Escobar was a Siemens executive who had worked at the company for nearly 27 years. The sixth victim was the 36-year-old pilot (not yet publicly named).
News of the crash prompted an outpouring of grief from both sides of the Atlantic.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Agustín Escobar and his family,”
in a statement, offering condolences to their loved ones. Siemens CEO Roland Busch echoed those sentiments on social media, calling Escobar a “colleague and friend” and saying the family would be “missed immensely.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, on an official trip in Asia, called the crash an “unimaginable tragedy” and said he sympathized with the families of the victims, five of whom were Spanish citizens.
Investigation Underway into Cause
Federal safety investigators are now working to determine what caused the helicopter’s failure. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched a joint investigation, with the NTSB taking the lead. In a preliminary statement, the FAA confirmed that “a Bell 206 helicopter crashed and is submerged in the Hudson River” and that investigators were en route to the site.
Dive operations continued Friday to recover wreckage from the riverbed. Crews hoisted the mangled helicopter from the water on Thursday evening for examination.
Early evidence points to a sudden mechanical breakdown.
“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,” Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter Tours, told the New York Post. “I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess… is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed.”
Officials have not yet pinpointed a definitive cause. The NTSB is expected to examine maintenance records, pilot communications, and any available flight data.
Weather conditions at the time were fair, and officials have not indicated that wind or visibility played any role. The helicopter was flying in what’s known as the Hudson River Special Flight Rules Area — an uncontrolled airspace corridor for low-altitude sightseeing and general aviation.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained in a social media post that the aircraft was not receiving air traffic control service when it went down.
Mechanical failure suspected in mid-air breakup
Although the cause remains under investigation, preliminary evidence suggests a mechanical catastrophe.
Multiple witnesses saw rotor blades separating from the helicopter, hinting at a “catastrophic mechanical failure” that rendered the pilot unable to regain control.
“There’s no indication they had any control of the craft. No pilot could have prevented that once they lost the lift,” said Justin Green, an aviation attorney and former pilot who reviewed footage of the accident.
Some experts believe the main rotor may have struck the tail boom, causing a complete in-flight breakup.
Weather conditions at the time — light rain and overcast skies — were not severe. Investigators are focusing on potential equipment failure, reviewing the helicopter’s maintenance records and the recovered engine parts. A preliminary report is expected within a few weeks, though the full investigation may take months.
Escobar’s legacy
Agustín Escobar’s death is being felt across the global tech community. Based in Berlin, Escobar led Siemens Mobility’s rail infrastructure division, overseeing major rail projects worldwide. He previously served as CEO of Siemens Spain and was known for his nearly three-decade career helping modernize transportation systems.
His wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 45, was a global commercialization manager at Siemens Energy in Barcelona. As the investigation continues, the Escobar family’s loss is being mourned by colleagues and officials. Officials expect a preliminary NTSB update within days, though a full report may take months.
For now, the focus remains on supporting the victims’ relatives and understanding how a sightseeing flight turned so tragic.
