A family of five from Barcelona, Spain, who were visiting New York City to celebrate a child’s birthday, tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday. The family, including Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children aged 4, 5, and 11, along with the pilot, perished when the helicopter they were touring in crashed into the river.
The family had just arrived in New York and decided to spend their first day touring Manhattan with a scenic helicopter trip overlooking the Statue of Liberty. Before the ill-fated journey, the family was photographed smiling in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter, a picture that now serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the tragedy.
Shortly after takeoff, the 36-year-old pilot radioed the base to warn that the helicopter was running out of fuel. The helicopter then split in half mid-air over the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey around 3:15 p.m., just 16 minutes after takeoff. The pilot also lost his life in the crash.
Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were declared dead at the hospital. Escobar was identified as the global CEO of rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, and his wife was a global commercialization manager at Siemens Energy. She was also the granddaughter of Agustí Montal Costa, a former president of FC Barcelona soccer club.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud “boom” at the moment of impact as the helicopter’s rotors spun out of control into the river. The wreckage of the sightseeing helicopter was retrieved from the Hudson River late Thursday, with dive operations continuing into Friday.
The owner of the tourist helicopter expressed his devastation over the incident. He speculated that the crash could have been caused by a bird strike or a failure of the main rotor blades, but admitted that he had no definitive answers.
President Trump has since commented on the incident, describing it as “terrible” and expressing his condolences to the families and friends of the victims.