Tragic Helicopter Crash Claims Lives of Family of Five
A devastating helicopter crash on Thursday, April 10, around 3:17 p.m., claimed the lives of a family of five — including three young children — when the aircraft broke apart midair and plunged into the Hudson River.
Witnesses described the helicopter spiraling uncontrollably before hitting the water. Dani Horbiak, who saw the incident, told ABC News she heard what “sounded almost like gunshots in the sky” and saw pieces of metal falling from above.
Radar data showed the helicopter circling near the Statue of Liberty, flying north along Manhattan’s skyline toward the George Washington Bridge before turning south again. The aircraft had been airborne for approximately 18 minutes before the crash occurred.
Michael Roth, owner of New York Helicopter — the tour company operating the flight — told The Telegraph that the pilot had radioed in a request to land and refuel. “He called in saying he needed fuel and was landing. It should have taken him three minutes to get there, but 20 minutes passed and he never arrived,” Roth said. Another pilot flying nearby spotted the helicopter in the river and notified Roth.
The passengers were later identified as Spanish tourists: Agustín Escobar, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children. The 36-year-old pilot also perished in the crash.
Photos taken just before the flight show the family smiling and posing inside and outside the helicopter, unaware of the tragedy to come.
Emergency services responded swiftly, and all six bodies were recovered from the scene. However, recovery operations for the helicopter wreckage itself were paused overnight, with dive teams from the NYPD and New Jersey State Police expected to resume efforts the following morning.
“We’re all devastated,” Roth said. “Every employee in our company is grieving. My wife hasn’t stopped crying. The loss of a child—or any human life—is an unimaginable tragedy.”
Former President Donald Trump expressed his condolences in a statement, calling the crash a heartbreaking loss. He added that an investigation is underway and answers will come in due time.
