Federal authorities have begun their investigation into the deadly crash of a sightseeing helicopter into the Hudson River in New York City on April 10.
The chopper plunged into the Hudson River near Jersey City, New Jersey, at about 3:15 p.m. on April 10, killing all six people on board. Video of the crash shows the helicopter careening into the water followed moments later by a detached rotor blade. The National Transportation Safety Board said it would closely examine the wreckage to find out what went wrong.
The victims included the pilot and a family of five with three children who were visiting from Spain.
Here’s what we know about the crash:
What happened to the helicopter?
The Bell 206 helicopter took off from a heliport in downtown Manhattan the afternoon of April 10 for an aerial tour of the city, said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB. It was operated by New York Helicopter Charter Inc. and was owned by Meridian Helicopters LLC, based in Louisiana.
It flew north over the Hudson, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. It turned south when it reached the George Washington Bridge. It crashed at about 3:15 p.m. and landed upside down in the water near Lower Manhattan, just off Jersey City.
Officials haven’t determined the cause of the crash, but aviation experts said video of the crash appears to indicate a catastrophic failure of the helicopter’s rotor, which was seen detached.
Who were the victims?
Among the six killed in the April 10 crash were pilot Seankese Johnson, 36, and a family of five visiting from Spain, including 49-year-old Agustin Escobar, an executive at tech company Siemens, his wife, and their three children, ages 4, 8 and 10.
According to news reports including NBC News, Escobar’s wife was 39-year-old Mercè Camprubí Montal.
Who was the Escobar family?
What we know about family in chopper crash
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the 8-year-old would have turned 9 on April 11. Escobar was in town on business and the family joined him to extend the trip and celebrate, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop also said.
Johnson had 788 hours of flight time as a pilot and had a commercial pilot certificate, Homendy said. He was a Navy veteran and had recently moved to New York City, according to his Facebook profile.
Video shows helicopter crash
Video taken by witnesses shows the moment the small helicopter plummeted into the river, followed by a rogue rotor.
Watch the video:
Tour company releases statement
The company that operated the sightseeing tours, New York Helicopter Tours, said in a statement on its website that it would cooperate with the investigation.
Read the statement:
“New York Helicopter Tours is profoundly saddened by the tragic accident and loss of life that occurred on April 10, 2025, involving one of our helicopters in the Hudson River. At New York Helicopter Tours, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew has always been the cornerstone of our operations. Our immediate focus is supporting the families and their loved ones affected by this tragedy, as well as fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB investigations. These agencies have asked us to respect the investigative process by referring all press inquiries to them for any further comment. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.”
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Contributing: Christopher Cann and Michael Loria, USA TODAY; Reuters
