The witnesses of 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, mayor Eric Adams confirmed. Divers retrieved four people from the river, two of whom were alive and rushed to nearby hospitals before dying from their injuries.
Witness Bruce Wall, 28, recalled seeing the helicopter “falling apart probably 15 feet before it actually fell and then the tail whipped off”.
The Jersey City resident described 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.”
An unnamed woman said in quotes broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Today program that the “helicopter was a little bit nose down slightly, it kept spinning in the air”.
A Spanish family of two adults and three children and the helicopter’s pilot were identified as the victims. Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, a global manager at Siemens Energy, and their three children all died.
President Donald Trump has offered his condolences and the National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation.
What we know about victims of Hudson River helicopter crash in New York
Six people, including a couple, their three children, and the pilot, have been identified as the victims aboard the helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River on April 10.
Debris was captured by passers-by, flailing in the air as the tragedy unfolded.
Agustin Escobar, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, global commercialization manager at Siemens Energy, and their children, aged 4, 5, and 11, were named by a person briefed on the investigation to The Associated Press.
Madeline Sherratt reports:
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.
Pilot and family with three children killed after helicopter crashes in Hudson River near midtown ManhattanFull report:
Six people are dead after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon.
A family of Spanish tourists, including two adults and three children were on board, as well as the pilot, New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed at a press conference.
Four of those on board were pronounced dead at the scene, while another two died in a local hospital, authorities confirmed.
Five of the victims late Thursday were identified as Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, a global manager at an energy technology company, and their three children, a person briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press.
Ariana Baio reports from New York:
Pictured: Helicopter’s landing skids poke out of the river
Siemens Mobility ‘deeply saddened’ by death of CEO
Siemens Mobility, the company for which helicopter crash victim Agustin Escobar was CEO, has said it is “deeply saddened” to learn of his death.
Escobar, who was the chief of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility – the train transportation arm of Germany-based technology company Siemens – was killed alongside four members of his family.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives,” the spokesperson told The Independent.
Here’s what we know so far about the deadly helicopter crash
Here’s what we know about the crash:
Lawmaker calls for ban on tourist helicopters
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal has called for a ban on sightseeing helicopter tours, saying we were “minutes” from disaster had the chopper crashed into the densely-populated ground.
Including the crash on Thursday, 25 people have died in New York City in helicopter sightseeing incidents – all of whom have been onboard the aircraft.
“We averted disaster possibly by just minutes. And that is the concern here. Which is if a helicopter gets in trouble in a densely populated area like Manhattan, the disaster could be far worse,” Hoylman-Sigal said according to ABC 7 New York.
“There’s no reason to allow tourists and tour flight operators to use our valuable precious airspace,” he said, adding: “the danger is that FAA regulates airspace above 500 feet, so the city and state are prohibited from passing laws that make tourist choppers safer. “
The senator has been trying to limit helicopter traffic over the city to first responders, news and necessary transport.
FDNY: Divers immediately deployed into river for rescue operation
The Fire Department of New York released the following statement:
Around 3:15 Thursday afternoon, the FDNY received calls for a helicopter crash in the Hudson River. FDNY Marine Units quickly responded to waters off Pier 40 in Lower Manhattan. FDNY divers were immediately deployed into the river to begin rescue operations. Tragically, six people were pronounced dead.
Source: independent.co.uk