A scenic helicopter tour ended in tragedy on April 10 when a Bell 206 aircraft plunged into the Hudson River, killing all six people on board — a Spanish family of five and the pilot.
Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, ages 4, 5, and 11, had just lifted off from a Manhattan skyport. The pilot, whose name has not been released, radioed shortly before the crash: “He called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel,” said Michael Roth of New York Helicopter. “It should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive.”
Witnesses described seeing parts fall off midair. “I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots… then watched it fall into the river,” said one observer. Experts suspect rotor blade separation may have caused the fatal plunge.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating. Mayor Eric Adams expressed condolences, and Spain’s Prime Minister called the crash “an unimaginable tragedy.” The exact cause remains under review.
