Divers seek for components after NYC helicopter crash killed a household of 5 and the pilot, a Navy vet

Divers utilizing sonar searched on Friday (April 11, 2025) for key items of a sightseeing helicopter that broke aside in midair and plunged into the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey. All six individuals aboard had been killed – a household of 5 from Spain and the pilot, a 36-year-old U.S. Navy veteran.

The primary and rear rotors, predominant transmission, roof construction and tail construction had been nonetheless lacking a day after Thursday’s (April 10, 2025) crash, Nationwide Transportation Security Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy stated. Witnesses stated they noticed the principle rotor detach and spin away, and bystander video confirmed components of the plane tumbling by way of the air.

Ms. Homendy stated investigators had solely simply begun trying on the wreckage, flight logs and different materials and wouldn’t speculate on the trigger. The company, which has been spared from the Trump administration’s job-cutting measures, deployed 17 individuals to the crash scene, together with 10 investigators.

“Every little thing is on the desk. We don’t rule something out,” Ms. Homendy stated. “We take a really detailed and complete view, and it’s method too early within the investigation.”

The helicopter crashed round 3:15 p.m. on Thursday (April 10, 2025), about quarter-hour after departing from a decrease Manhattan heliport. It flew up the west aspect of Manhattan, circled close to the George Washington Bridge and was heading south when it plummeted the other way up right into a shallow stretch of the river close to Jersey Metropolis, New Jersey.

The crash, the most recent in a string of lethal incidents, has renewed debate concerning the security and practicality of helicopter excursions in New York Metropolis’s busy airspace.

Simply earlier than take-off, Agustin Escobar, his spouse, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three youngsters – Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10 – smiled in entrance of the helicopter in memento images posted to the tour operator’s web site.

Escobar, a 49-year-old govt with the German conglomerate Siemens, had prolonged a enterprise journey to the U.S. to sightsee in New York Metropolis and rejoice two household milestones: Mercedes’ ninth birthday, which might have been on Friday (April 11, 2025), and his spouse’s upcoming fortieth birthday. Montal was an govt at Siemens Vitality, an organization that had been part of the conglomerate earlier than being spun off as a separate entity.

In an announcement posted on the social platform X on Friday (April 11, 2025) evening by Montal’s brother, Joan Camprubí Montal, members of the family expressed gratitude for the “huge expressions of condolences and assist,” including, “There aren’t any phrases to explain what we’re experiencing, nor to thank the heat acquired.”

Writing in Spanish and in Catalan, Montal stated members of the family had travelled to New York to deal with preparations and requested individuals to respect their privateness.

“These are very troublesome occasions, however optimism and pleasure have all the time characterised our household. We wish to preserve the reminiscence of a cheerful and united household, within the sweetest second of their lives,” he stated. “They’ve departed collectively, leaving an indelible mark amongst all their relations, pals, and acquaintances.”

The pilot, Seankese Johnson, acquired his industrial pilot’s license in 2023, in keeping with the Federal Aviation Administration, and had logged about 800 hours of flight time as of March, Ms. Homendy stated. Just lately, he posted a photograph on Fb of him piloting a helicopter with Manhattan within the background. In 2023, he posted that he was flying a firefighting helicopter.

“Lengthy hours and painstaking work to get to this second. Thanks for all of the love and assist from those that’ve helped me get right here,” Johnson wrote.

Johnson transitioned to aviation after a profession within the Navy.

He enlisted in 2006 and served till 2018, attaining the rank of Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class, Protection Division information present. He was stationed on the plane service USS Ronald Reagan from 2007 to 2011 and in San Diego from 2011 to 2018, serving within the Particular Warfare Unit, the Particular Warfare Logistics Assist Unit and the Coastal Riverine Squadron.

Thursday’s (April 10, 2025) crash amplified calls from some group activists and public officers to ban or limit helicopter site visitors round Manhattan. Greater than three dozen individuals have been killed in helicopter crashes in New York Metropolis since 1977.

New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Manhattan Democrat, referred to as the crash a “reminder of our worst fears” and stated “having nonessential flights over densely populated areas is a recipe for catastrophe.”

Jersey Metropolis Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democrat operating for governor of New Jersey, referred to as on the FAA to limit vacationer flights. Had the helicopter veered a number of hundred toes inland, it may need crashed right into a walkway, a playground or residence buildings, he stated.

“It’s a really harmful scenario, and I feel we must be sensible about it,” Mr. Fulop stated.

New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams, nevertheless, stated he doesn’t wish to limit any flights till the investigation is full. He advised 1010 WINS radio, “Folks wish to see the town from the sky. On the coronary heart of that is security. It have to be completed proper.”

A helicopter business group additionally urged warning.

“Sadly, some well-meaning however misguided leaders are utilizing this tragedy to take advantage of and push their decades-old agenda to ban all helicopters,” Japanese Area Helicopter Council Chairman Jeff Smith stated in an announcement.

A collision between a aircraft and a vacationer helicopter over the Hudson in 2009 killed 9 individuals, and 5 died in 2018 when a constitution helicopter providing “open door” flights went down into the East River.

The flight’s operator, New York Helicopter, stated in an announcement on Friday (April 11, 2025) that it’s “profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and lack of life,” including that the protection and well-being of passengers and crew “has all the time been the cornerstone of our operations.”

The corporate, one among a handful providing sightseeing flights within the Huge Apple, had been beset by monetary issues lately. It emerged from chapter in 2022 and has confronted lawsuits for allegedly failing to pay its payments.

The corporate’s proprietor, Michael Roth, advised the New York Publish he was devastated and had “no clue” what occurred.

“The one factor I do know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the principle rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” the Publish quoted him as saying. He added that he had not seen something like this throughout his 30 years within the helicopter enterprise, however famous: “These are machines, and so they break.”

The helicopter, a Bell 206 LongRanger IV, was inbuilt 2004.

In response to FAA information, it had a upkeep concern final September involving its transmission meeting.

An entry within the company’s Service Issue Reporting System exhibits the transmission meeting had metallic in oil, an indication of damage, and a bearing within the transmission was discovered to be flaking.

The helicopter had logged 12,728 complete flight hours on the time, in keeping with the information.