A sightseeing helicopter tour over New York City ended in tragedy on Thursday afternoon when a Bell 206 aircraft broke apart midair and plunged upside down into the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan, killing all six people on board. The victims included the pilot and a visiting Spanish family of five—three of them children. Emergency crews recovered all six bodies from the river.
The helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter Tours, departed at approximately 3:00 p.m. from a downtown helipad and was in the air for less than 18 minutes before it crashed around 3:15 p.m. near Tribeca. Radar tracking showed the aircraft flying north past the Manhattan skyline before turning south toward the Statue of Liberty. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the aircraft disintegrating in midair.
Victims Identified: Siemens Executive and Family
Among the deceased was Agustin Escobar, Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, and his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, a global commercialisation manager at Siemens Energy in Barcelona. The couple’s three children—believed to be of middle school age or younger—were also killed. They had arrived in New York from Barcelona earlier the same day.
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Photos from the New York Helicopter Tours website captured the family smiling in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV shortly before takeoff. Escobar, who had over 25 years of leadership experience across Europe and the Americas, was widely admired by colleagues. “He loved his wife and kids so much — they were everything to him,” said Juan Ignacio Diaz, a close friend and former Siemens colleague.
Helicopter Broke Apart Midair
Several eyewitnesses described the harrowing final moments of the aircraft. “I saw the helicopter falling to pieces,” said Dani Horbiak, a Jersey City resident. Another witness, Bruce Wall, observed the tail and rotor detaching while the propeller continued to spin separately as the helicopter plummeted into the river.
The Bell 206 model, originally developed for the U.S. Army and widely used in tourism and law enforcement, is known for its reliability. However, it has been involved in several past incidents. In 2009, a tourist helicopter collided midair with a small plane over the Hudson, killing nine. In 2018, five people died in an East River crash during an “open-door” charter flight.
Rescue and Recovery Efforts
Emergency services responded quickly, with divers retrieving all six victims from the water. Four were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others—reportedly including Escobar—were taken to a hospital and later died. Video footage showed the helicopter submerged with only its landing gear visible above the water. A crane was later brought to help retrieve wreckage. The crash occurred near a long maintenance pier and a ventilation tower for the Holland Tunnel, a busy corridor connecting Manhattan to New Jersey. Police warned residents to expect delays and increased emergency presence in the area.
Investigation Underway
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched a joint investigation. The aircraft was operating in a Special Flight Rules Area, meaning it was not under active air traffic control at the time of the crash. The FAA also announced the formation of a Safety Review Team to assess procedures surrounding civilian helicopter flights.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said officials are now reviewing helicopter traffic regulations, particularly in crowded urban zones. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and her team were expected to conduct a site investigation and hold a briefing the following day.
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The Hudson River and New York’s skyline are popular routes for aerial tours, with over two dozen operators offering flights. But the area has seen multiple accidents in recent years, raising safety concerns. Following the fatal 2018 East River crash, open-door flights were banned in New York.