A tourist helicopter crashed upside down into New York City’s Hudson River on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of all six individuals on board, including a Spanish family with three children and the pilot, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
Agustin Escobar, an executive with the German-based technology company Siemens, was among the fatalities, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.
The New York City Police Department directed inquiries regarding Escobar’s presence on the helicopter to the US Coast Guard. The Coast Guard stated that they had not yet received the names of the victims. Siemens did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of regular business hours.
Video footage of the incident showed what appeared to be a large object falling into the river, followed moments later by what seemed to be a helicopter rotor blade. Subsequently, emergency and police vessels were observed circling an area of the river where the helicopter had submerged, with only what appeared to be the aircraft’s landing gear visible above the water’s surface.
The Bell 206 helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter Tours, departed from a downtown heliport at approximately 3 pm ET (1900 GMT) and flew north over the Hudson River, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated.
It then turned south upon reaching the George Washington Bridge and crashed minutes later, hitting the water in an inverted position and submerging near Lower Manhattan at around 3:15 pm, just off the coast of Hoboken, New Jersey, Tisch added.
Divers assisted in recovering the victims from the water. Four individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were transported to local hospitals where they later died.
The airspace surrounding Manhattan is heavily trafficked by helicopters offering aerial sightseeing tours to tourists, with at least two dozen operators listed on the tour website Viator. Many of these operators also provide helicopter shuttle services to the region’s airports.
New York Helicopter Tours, which advertises sightseeing flights for as low as $114 per person on its website, did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the crash.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the tour helicopter was operating within a Special Flight Rules Area established in New York, meaning that air traffic control services were not being provided at the time of the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will conduct an investigation, with the NTSB taking the lead.
Duffy mentioned that the FAA was also launching a Safety Review Team on Thursday evening. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and a team from the board are expected to arrive in New York later on Thursday and plan to hold a press briefing on Friday.
New York City has a history of helicopter-related accidents. In 2018, five passengers died when a helicopter crashed into the East River; the pilot was the sole survivor. That helicopter was on a charter flight with an open door to allow passengers to take skyline photographs.
A New York City Police spokesperson confirmed that police boats assisted in the rescue efforts on Thursday.
Helicopter safety has been a subject of discussion in the US Congress following a crash on January 29 near Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter, which resulted in the deaths of 67 people.
Since that incident, the FAA has permanently restricted helicopter traffic near Reagan National Airport and is currently reviewing helicopter operations near other major airports.
