After a helicopter plunged into New York’s Hudson River on April 8, killing a family of five tourists along with the pilot, witnesses are left with the “terrifying” memory of watching an aircraft “fall out of the sky” into its watery graveyard.
On April 10, a tourist helicopter carrying a family from Spain lifted off from a Manhattan heliport for sweeping views of some of New York’s most iconic landmarks.
Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive from Barcelona, Spain, his wife Mercè Camprubi Montal, and their children, ages 4, 5, and 11, were on the aircraft operated by New York Helicopters, indulging in breathtaking views of the skyline.
According to Spanish newspaper El Diario, the family was in New York celebrating the birthday of one of the kids.
Tour turns fatal
At 3:15 p.m., only 16 minutes into the flight, the journey turned catastrophic when the helicopter lost control and crashed into the cold waters of the Hudson, according to CNN.
Social media videos show that the chopper spiraled downward before it slammed into the water with a forceful splash, its twirling wings landing immediately after.
Within moments, FDNY and NYPD divers followed the chopper into the murky river, hoping to rescue survivors but unfortunately, the Escobars and the helicopter pilot, were killed.
‘Terrifying’
People strolling near Pier 40 watched in disbelief as the chopper started flipping and spiraling before crashing upside down into the Hudson River, scattering debris across the water.
“The helicopter was a little bit like nose down, slightly, and I saw the propeller separating from the helicopter. It kept spinning in the air alone. Nothing was attached to it,” witness Sarah Jane Raymond Ryer told CNN affiliate WCBS.
“It sounded like a sonic boom on my right and so I look up and literally I see a helicopter splitting in two with the rotor flying off and this guy was going straight into the water and nothing came up afterwards, it must have just sunk and that was it, and then I just waited here and like five minutes later we started seeing the police and stuff come,” a witness named Max shared with ABC7. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”
Further describing what he saw and heard, Max continued, “But yeah, just like a big bang on my right and then like a whoop whoop [making a helicopter noise] as you see the propeller like flying off like up way higher than the helicopter and just land straight in the water.”
Another witness, Rajany, said she was shaken up when the aircraft “just kind of fell apart. It was the most terrifying thing that we ever witnessed.”
“I heard some crackling, looked up and then just saw a plane falling apart,” said witness Bruce Wall. “And then maybe 15 feet in the air after the tail came off, broke off, and then the plane just sort of tumbled into the water with the propeller still in the air.”
‘Falling to pieces’
Meanwhile, Dani Horbiak was working from her home in Jersey City, overlooking the Hudson when she explained that she “heard it before she saw it.”
“I watched it fall out of the sky! I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river,” said Horbiak, who recorded the helicopter “falling to pieces” before it “splashed down into the river below,” right near the pier.
“I’m definitely shaken up knowing I watched this happen to this family…This could have been an even greater tragedy if the helicopter would have been slightly further over, or if the wind had been slightly stronger. So in the face of the tragedy I’m grateful that nobody else was injured,” the woman told the UK Sun.
Another Jersey resident explained that she was also first alerted by the noise: “It sounded honestly like an engine came out. I looked outside my window. I saw a few people running towards the water, and some people were acting pretty normal. So I was like oh, it might not be anything. Then I started to hear all the sirens come outside,” Jenn Lynk said.
‘Needed fuel’
While the specific cause of the crash is still under investigation, aviation experts are focusing on mechanical failure or sudden weather shifts as possible factors.
Michael Roth, the CEO of New York Helicopters, said “[The pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive.”
”I don’t know anything how this went down. The only thing I can tell you, we are devastated. My wife hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon,” he told CBS. ”We’re a small company. I’m a father and a grandfather, and we’re just devastated. We have no clue what happened.”
Authorities have confirmed that the pilot was experienced and licensed, and weather conditions – though misty – were within safe flying parameters. The aircraft’s black box, retrieved by divers, is expected to provide more insights in the coming days.
This event is a sobering reminder of how quickly life can change.
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