Following the devastating helicopter crash on the Hudson River in New York, “horrifying” new details are beginning to emerge from eyewitnesses who watched the tragic event unfold.
The sightseeing flight, which ended in disaster, claimed the lives of six people. Among them was a Spanish family of five who had been visiting the city as tourists.
Highlights
- A helicopter carrying a Spanish family of five and the pilot broke apart mid-air and crashed into the Hudson River.
- Eyewitnesses described the scene as “horrifying,” with some reporting loud noises and rotor blades detaching.
- Investigators suspect a catastrophic mechanical failure caused the crash, leaving the pilot powerless to prevent it.
As investigators work to determine what went wrong, accounts from witnesses paint a chilling picture of the moments leading up to the crash.
A helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River in New York claimed the lives of six people
Image credits: xpertcommander/Bruce Wall
An aircraft that was operated by New York Helicopters, a local tour company, broke apart mid-air and crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, April 10, just 15 minutes after takeoff from Manhattan.
The helicopter took off from the Wall Street Heliport and circled near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge at about 1,000 feet.
A Spanish family of five and their pilot lost their lives in the crash
Image credits: NewYorkHelicopter
Four people were pronounced d*ad at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, where they “succumbed to their injuries,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CBS News.
The crash victims were identified as Agustín Escobar, president and CEO of Siemens Spain, along with his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, a global manager at an energy technology company, and the couple’s three young children, along with their pilot.
An eyewitness said the crash was “horrifying”
Image credits: ABC News
Image credits: AvirbhawRakesh
An eyewitness who saw the crash happening from her apartment in Newport Park that overlooks the Hudson River, Rashmi Kamkeri, 30, told Daily Mail that “it was horrifying.”
Rashmi Kamkeri, an engineer, was working from home when she heard a loud crash on Thursday afternoon. “I thought it was thunder and ten seconds later I saw the helicopter 10 feet above the water falling and then it made a big splash and went underneath the water,” she told the news outlet.
Image credits: ABC 7
“I panicked... then saw a piece of the helicopter fall into the water. The Waterway boat was moving, and then it took a turn,” she continued. According to Kamker, emergency responders started to arrive at the crash scene by 3:30 p.m., and later, more police and helicopters arrived.
Another witness said he saw the helicopter come apart in the sky
Image credits: ABC News
Another witness, Avirbhaw Rakesh, a tech worker, was working from his Manhattan apartment when, around 3:20 p.m., he saw the helicopter come apart in the sky.
He captured the helicopter sinking into the Hudson River and called 911. Saying he didn’t hear a bang, Rakesh recounted the crash in an interview with PIX11 News.
“The helicopter was flying when, out of the blue, the blades came off. It just dropped and didn’t fly much after the blades came off. It kind of just dropped as is. It was very odd, and I don’t know, very strange to see a helicopter drop midair,” Rakesh told the news outlet.
Image credits: Thomas Hengge/Anadolu
“My immediate reaction was, oh my God, I just hoped it wouldn’t hit a building. If it goes in the water, that’s one thing, but if it hits the building, there would be much more chaos,” Rakesh added.
“The very next thought was that a New York Waterway taxi was not far from it. My next thought was, oh my God, I hope it doesn’t hit that. It didn’t hit anything, so it didn’t explode.”
Others recounted the crash, saying there were loud noises “almost like gunshots” and there was a “big splash”
Dani Horbiak, another witness, told Time that she watched the crash as it happened from her Jersey City home, saying, "I heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river."
Eric Campoverde, who lives close to the crash scene, recounted the time of the incident in an interview with ABC News, saying, "I was walking by and the helicopter went down at a 45-degree angle." "Big splash – it was very scary," Campoverde added.
Image credits: FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth
"It sounded like a sonic boom," someone told New York ABC station WABC, adding that he saw the "helicopter splitting in two with the rotor flying off."
Another witness mentioned seeing the propeller of the helicopter spinning on its own while the helicopter itself fell to the river, saying, "[the propeller] kept spinning in the air alone, nothing was attached to it and the helicopter just fell," in an interview with CBS News.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said that all six victims had been removed from the water
Image credits: CBC News
“Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a press conference about the incident. He also announced, “All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased.”
Justin Green, an aviation lawyer who was a helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps, told Time that a video of the crash suggested that a “catastrophic mechanical failure” left the pilot with no chance to save the helicopter.
Image credits: FOX 5 New York
“They were deceased as soon as whatever happened happened,” Green added. “There’s no indication they had any control over the craft. No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lifts. It’s like a rock falling to the ground. It’s heartbreaking.”
Since 1977, at least 38 people have lost their lives in helicopter accidents in New York City.
Online users reacted to the tragic helicopter crash, with many wishing peace for the victims
