Six people, including a couple, their three children, and the pilot, have been identified as the victims aboard the helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River on April 10.
The Spanish family and the pilot were killed after the tourist helicopter broke apart midair and plunged upside-down into the water in Lower Manhattan.
Debris was captured by passers-by, flailing in the air as the tragedy unfolded.
Agustin Escobar, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, global commercialization manager at Siemens Energy, and their children, aged 4, 5, and 11, were named by a person briefed on the investigation to The Associated Press.
The helicopter pilot is yet to be identified by officials.
Photos posted on the helicopter company’s website showed the couple and their children smiling before they boarded just before the flight took off.
Authorities confirmed the Bell 206 helicopter took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 2:59 p.m., headed toward the Statue of Liberty. It then flew north along Manhattan, up the river to the George Washington Bridge, before turning south again.
It went off the radar at 3:15 p.m.
President Donald Trump has offered his condolences while confirming that the National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation.
Agustin Escobar
The father of the family who perished in the crash has been named as Agustin Escobar.
According to his LinkedIn page, Escobar worked as the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility in a career that spanned over 27 years.
He began his tenure in 1998 as the head of sales and project management of Power Automation systems in Madrid, working his way up to various management positions before being named Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure last October.
He previously served as the CEO of Siemens Spain.
On his profile, Escobar said that he was now based in Berlin.
Just a day before the crash, Escobar posted about his company’s latest rail project being launched in the UK.
“What an inspiring example of investment in rail infrastructure and technology! Looking forward to seeing the innovation that will emerge from this new center,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
A Siemens spokesperson provided a statement to The Independent Friday: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones.”
The company confirmed to The Independent that both Escobar and Montal were their employees.
Mercè Camprubí Montal
Escobar’s wife was identified as Mercè Camprubí Montal.
According to her LinkedIn page, Montal worked for Siemens Energy in Barcelona as the global commercialization manager for the digital team.
Before starting at the automation company as a regional sales manager in Catalonia, Spain, in April 2009, Montal studied at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona and the IESE Business School.
She formerly worked as the head of strategy and business development for Siemens’ South America operation in Bogota, Colombia, from 2013 to 2018.
Her husband worked as the CEO of infrastructure and cities for South America from the same office at the time. Both moved back to Spain in 2018.
The mother of three’s Facebook page showed happy family photos together with their young children. The most recent photo with two of her children pictured her smiling while embracing during a ski vacation.
An older photo from 2015 showed the couple sitting in a yacht in a sunny marina.
Three children aged 4, 5, and 11
The couple’s three children were on board the tourist flight.
Their names are yet to be formally released.
The family was staying at the Hotel Riu Plaza in Times Square, reports The Daily Beast.
The unidentified helicopter pilot
A sixth victim who died onboard the flight was the helicopter pilot, who is yet to be formally identified by authorities.
He is believed to be a 36-year-old male, reports The Daily Mail.
The pilot reportedly warned he needed to refuel just moments before the aircraft disintegrated midair, according to The Mail.
It was flying for roughly 18 minutes before it nose-dived into the water.
What went wrong?
Witness Bruce Wall told AP he saw the helicopter “falling apart” midair, with the tail and main rotor coming off. The main rotor was still spinning as it fell to the water, separated from the helicopter.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the helicopter as a Bell 206, a model widely used in commercial and government aviation, including by sightseeing companies, TV news stations, and police. It was initially developed for the U.S. Army before being adapted for other uses. Thousands have been manufactured over the years.
The National Transportation Safety Board said was now investigating the crash.
Dan Rice, who frequently flies in the same model of helicopter as the one which plummeted into the Hudson River, has said it was “obviously a catastrophic failure” which caused the crash.
Speaking to CBS News, he said: “Obviously, a catastrophic failure of the aircraft. That’s very obvious. Booms and noises like that indicate some sort of mechanical issue.”
The owner of the tourist helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River this afternoon, killing all six people on board, including a family from Spain, told The New York Post he’s “devastated.”
“It’s devastation,” New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth said. “I’m a father and a grandfather and to have children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated.
“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” a visibly shaken Roth said. “And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess – I got no clue – is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know.”
President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the victims and stated that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and his department are investigating.
“Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us. The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has commented on the “unimaginable tragedy.”
Sanchez said in a statement: “The news reaching us today of the helicopter crash in the Hudson River is devastating.
“Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives.
“An unimaginable tragedy. I share in the grief of the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time.”
