A tragic helicopter crash in the Hudson River claimed the lives of six individuals on Thursday, including a pilot from the Chicago area and a family of five Spanish tourists. According to ABC7, the pilot, identified as Seankese "Sean" Johnson, was a former military member and a resident of the Chicago area with additional ties to Henderson, Nevada.
The chopper, operated by New York Helicopter Tours and on its sixth flight of the day, went down into the 50-degree waters of the Hudson after a catastrophic failure. A family that included Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children ages 4, 8, and 10, also perished in the incident. The family was visiting New York City to celebrate the wife's 40th birthday, a day before their 8-year-old child's birthday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told ABC7.
National Transportation Safety Board officials are coordinating efforts to determine the cause of the crash. Witnesses described seeing helicopter parts separating mid-flight prior to its plunge. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch informed CBS News New York that the helicopter had hit the water inverted, without a tail rotor or a main rotor blade. Divers spent Friday working to recover parts of the submerged helicopter.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop expressed concern over the air traffic above the Hudson and hoped this tragedy would bring more attention to these safety issues, Video footage showed the aircraft's descent into the river without its tail visible and flotation devices from the landing gear afloat. "Obviously, a catastrophic failure of the aircraft. That's very obvious," Dan Rice of CBS News New York explained, noting the absence of the main rotor on the helicopter. Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter, stressed their devastation, stating to CBS News New York, "We're a small company. I'm a father and a grandfather, and we're just devastated. We have no clue what happened."
Meanwhile, the New York and New Jersey communities mourn the sudden loss, and messages of condolence, including one from former President Trump. The investigation into what caused the fatal crash is ongoing.
