HAUNTING footage has emerged showing the Hudson River crash pilot flying over Manhattan just two weeks before the deadly disaster.
Sean Johnson, a Navy SEAL veteran, was on a tour of New York City with a Spanish family of five when the helicopter suddenly crashed into the icy waters, resulting in the tragic deaths of all six individuals on board.
The victims of the crash included Siemens boss Agustin Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children, aged four, five, and 11, as well as Johnson.
Just recently, Johnson shared a video of himself flying a helicopter in New York City with the caption “When it all comes together,” receiving an overwhelming amount of support from his friends and family. The crash has left many devastated by the tragic loss of all those involved.
Johnson had just moved to New York City to pursue his dream of being a pilot weeks before tragedy struck, his family told Gothamist.
In an emotional interview, his wife Kathryn Johnson said, “I’m just at a loss for words. I don’t even know what happened.
“It’s just hard right now.”
The Spanish family had landed in New York just hours before the wreck, having flown in from Barcelona to kick off their vacation.
But tragedy struck around 3.17 pm, when the helicopter reportedly broke apart midair and plunged into the Hudson, killing four people on impact.
Two others were later pronounced dead at the hospital.
A harrowing warning was made by the pilot just moments before the terrifying crash.
Michael Roth, the owner of the helicopter, told The Telegraph: “He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel.
“It should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive.”
What we know so far:
- The sightseeing helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV, crashed into the Hudson River around 3.17pm on Thursday.
- Witnesses say the chopper broke apart midair before plunging into the river.
- Agustin Escobar, Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, was on board with his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children.
- The family had just arrived in New York from Barcelona earlier that day.
- The pilot of the chopper, whose identity has not yet been released, was also killed.
- Heartbreaking photos on the New York Helicopter Tours website show the family smiling in front of the chopper
- Authorities are still working to determine what caused the helicopter to break apart in midair – with the firm previously having accidents
- Experts have said the investigation needs to centre on the so-called ‘Jesus Nut’ that holds the rotor together
- A haunting radio call captured revealed the pilot was running low on fuel
The chopper was later captured on video completely upside down in the Hudson River as New York Police Department boats rushed to the wreckage.
Heartbreaking pictures from the site of the Hudson River helicopter crash show debris floating in the water, including a child’s sneaker.
The black and pink sole of the shoe can be seen in the murky waters, as well as a seat from the doomed chopper.
A black container and something that looks like a lid from a pink water bottle can also be seen floating, as well as parts of the helicopter itself.
Other pictures from the scene appear to show a waterlogged safety booklet.
The Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV, tail number N216MH, had already made nine short trips earlier the same day, according to tracking site FlightAware.
It repeatedly took off from and landed at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport.
Most flights looped around Manhattan, swung past the Statue of Liberty, and flew up to the George Washington Bridge before heading back.
The longest journey clocked in at just 25 minutes.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed: “The aircraft belongs to a tour company called New York Helicopters.”
National Transportation Safety Board chairman Jennifer Homendy admitted that they didn’t have much to share at this time as they waited for the bodies and wreckage to be recovered before starting their probe.
She added that they are still looking for the main rotor and the tail rotor, and urged bystanders to submit any cellphone videos of the crash.
Homendy said the board likely won’t have a probable cause for “quite some time” and added that they’re looking at the “safety history” of the helicopter’s owner.
Shaken witnesses who saw the crash unfold described hearing what sounded like a gunshot as the helicopter started to plummet towards the water.
Dani Horbiak said she was at her home in Jersey City when a noise that sounded like “several gunshots in a row, almost, in the air” rang out.
The cause of the horror plunge is yet to be confirmed.
An aviation expert told The Sun it may have been caused by a single missing or faulty bolt onboard commonly known as the “Jesus nut”.
Julian Bray suggested the critical component, which holds the rotor system in place, may have failed mid-flight and led to the six deaths.
A lacking or faulty nut, he said, could have caused the chopper blades to detach while still spinning and slice through the aircraft before it plunged into the water.
Escobar, a 25-year veteran of the international tech and mobility scene, had held top positions across the globe — including Spain, South America, and the U.S.
Most recently, he was appointed Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility in October.
His wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, also had an impressive career.
She worked as a global commercialization manager at Siemens Energy in Barcelona for seven years, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The Spanish mum was reportedly related to two former Barcelona FC presidents, including one who brought Johan Cruyff to the club.
Montal was the great-granddaughter of Augusti Montal Galobart, Barcelona’s president from 1946 to 1952, and the granddaughter of Augusti Montal Costa, who was in charge of the Catalan club from 1969 to 1977.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has shared his condolences after all five members of a Spanish family — including three children — were killed in Thursday’s helicopter crash in the Hudson River.
“The news reaching us today of the helicopter crash in the Hudson River is devastating,” Sánchez said in a post on X early Friday.
“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.”
