The pilot of the tour helicopter that crashed into New York City’s Hudson River warned that they were out of fuel just before the tragedy that killed all six on board.
Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens, and his wife and three children died in the crash, the New York Times reported. The pilot is yet to be formally identified.
The tragedy took place at around 3:15pm on Thursday, closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River just off the tip of Lower Manhattan.
Calls to emergency services were received at approximately 3:17pm, just 17 minutes after it took off from downtown Manhattan.
Michael Roth, 71, who owns New York Helicopter which provided the tour and the chopper, said that the aircraft was out of fuel just minutes into their trip.
‘He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,’ Roth told The Telegraph.
Roth said that he started to get a ton of phone messages before one of his other pilots flew over the Hudson ‘and saw the helicopter upside down.’
‘We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.
The pilot of the tour helicopter that crashed into New York City ‘s Hudson River and killed a Spanish family of five warned that they were out of fuel just before the tragedy
The terrifying crash took place at around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River just off the tip of Lower Manhattan
‘The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster,’ Roth added.
Heartbreaking photos showed the family posing on the helipad and inside the aircraft before the crash.
Law enforcement officials confirmed to the outlet that the executive and his family were onboard the tour helicopter.
Escobar was appointed to serve as the CEO of Siemens in Spain in 2022 after previously serving as the CEO of Siemens Mobility Spain.
He also held various positions in Spain between 1998 and 2010, primarily in the energy sector. Additionally, Escobar served as the vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain.
Officials said the victims include a business executive from Spain, an adult relative, three children and the pilot.
Witnesses said they saw the chopper ‘split in half’ before it went down near Pier 40, with one man reporting the stricken aircraft making what sounded like a ‘sonic boom.’
The aircraft was operated by New York Helicopter, a local tour company. The chopper appeared to be a N216MH – a Bell 206L-4, according to Flight Radar.
Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens, and his wife and three children (pictured) were killed in the crash
The helicopter flew for approximately 16 minutes before going down into the water. It took off from the Wall Street Heliport and did a circle near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge at about 1000 feet.
It is also too early to say what may have caused the crash. Dramatic video showed the helicopter sinking into the water as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
As of 5:15 p.m., rescue efforts appeared to have concluded, and officials are focused on recovering parts of the aircraft, reported Fox 5.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, where they ‘succumbed to their injuries,’ NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Their names are being held pending family notification, and the Spanish Consulate of New York City is in touch with authorities, according to the communications team at the Spanish Foreign Ministry.
At the time of the crash, it was cloudy with winds around 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, CNN reported.
Surface visibility was considered good — 10 miles — but it was cloudy as a system is moving into the region, bringing light rain to the region this afternoon and evening. The water was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other footage showed the chopper ‘flying erratically’ just before it fell into the water, while other clips showed pieces of the aircraft were seen flying off.
A crane vessel lifts the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River
‘Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard,’ Mayor Eric Adams said. ‘All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims have been pronounced deceased.’
Anna was walking her rescue dog Archie along the West Side Highway in the rain when she saw the emergency responders and lights across the river on the New Jersey side.
‘I saw the helicopter submerged in the water and then there was a-lot of commotion,’ she told DailyMail.com.
Another said: ‘One of my children said, ‘what’s that sound?’ I told him I didn’t know. My other child said, ‘Do you think it was an earthquake?’ ‘I said, ‘no we would feel it.’
‘My other child asked, ‘Do you think a building pancaked?”
One eye witness told ABC the crash ‘sounded like a sonic boom,’ and when he looked up he saw the chopper ‘splitting in two.’
‘It was going so fast and it just went straight into the water… I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,’ he added.
Another person told the outlet: ‘I heard a loud snap … I looked over … and I could see a helicopter falling on its side and splash into the water. I didn’t see anyone come out.’
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a helicopter crash on the Hudson River near lower Manhattan
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said the Jersey City Police Department are taking the lead in the investigation until officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrive.
The skies are often filled with both planes and helicopters that both fly private recreational, commercial and tourists flights.
Manhattan has multiple helipads that are used by people, including business executives, to get across the Metropolitan area.
At least 32 have been killed in helicopter crashes in New York City since 1977.
The most recent crash happened in 2018 when a chopper hit crashed into the East River, leaving five passengers dead.
The chopper crashed on March 11, 2018 when the tail of the aircraft got caught on the fuel shutoff lever, the NTSB said.
All the passengers on board drowned. They were identified as Daniel Thompson, 34, Tristian Hill, 29, Trevor Cadigan, 26, Brian McDaniel, 26, and Carla Vallejos-Blanco, 29.
