NY - Helicopter carrying Spanish tourists crashes into the Hudson River, all six killed, 10 Apr 2025

[iamshadow21]

Breaking: Helicopter crashes in New York's Hudson River, authorities say

The New York City Police Department says a helicopter has crashed in the Hudson River near lower Manhattan.

www.abc.net.au

Helicopter crashes in Hudson River in New York City, all 6 on board killed: Sources

A helicopter crashed in the Hudson River in New York City on Thursday afternoon, according to the New York Police Department.

abcnews.go.com

Live Updates: Multiple fatalities as helicopter crashes in the Hudson River in New York City

The New York Police Department said Thursday afternoon that there was a helicopter crash into the Hudson River.

www.nbcnews.com

At least four dead after helicopter carrying 3 kids crashes into NYC’s Hudson River: ‘Split in half’

Witnesses on social media described a “loud thumping noise” when the helicopter crashed, with what appeared to be a broken propeller

nypost.com

6 dead in Hudson River helicopter crash

Six people died when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon, a person familiar with the situation told CBS News.

www.cbsnews.com

Six people have died in a helicopter crash in the Hudson River in New York City, an AP source says

A helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront.

apnews.com

Hudson helicopter crash: six people reportedly killed after aircraft plummets into water - latest

Media reports say family from Spain were onboard the helicopter when it crashed into the Hudson River

www.theguardian.com

Live updates: 6th person pulled from Hudson after tour chopper crash; at least 5 dead

Authorities are investigating a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, according to the NYPD.

www.nbcnewyork.com

 

[Chimera]

From the links, it sounded like a mechanical issue with the chopper and it may have broken in half ?
Awful, horrible accident !

Rest in peace to the deceased.

 

[iamshadow21]

From the links, it sounded like a mechanical issue with the chopper and it may have broken in half ?
Awful, horrible accident !

Rest in peace to the deceased.

Somehow, the propeller came free in the air.

Perhaps the 'Jesus nut'?

Jesus nut - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The helicopter in question is a Bell 206, which is the model mentioned in an example of an accident on the Wikipedia page, so it definitely has one.

MOO

 

[Arkay]

Live updates: 6th person pulled from Hudson after tour chopper crash; at least 5 dead

Authorities are investigating a helicopter crash in the Hudson River, according to the NYPD.

www.nbcnewyork.com

This link updates to say that 5 fatalities are confirmed but not official yet about the 6th.

It’s very chilly here today and they couldn’t have lasted more than a couple of hours in the river, but with 5 dead, and NBC local news stating that there appears to be a sixth but they aren’t officially told that the 6th has died, it has to be mechanical error.

I doubt it was pilot error. It is still light outside and this was the sixth flight of the day for the pilot. This is a typical “milk-run,” just routine sightseeing down the Hudson.

I am fruitlessly staring at the East River, which I can see from my window, even though the Hudson is on the other side of Manhattan.

The aviation tragedies of late are unbearably piling up.

In this case, rescue crews were there very quickly. I’m guessing then that the deaths were due to impact and not the cold water.

So much admiration for first responders. How they cope with the dreadful things they see every day.

Apparently three children were on board and they are still saying it was a family from Spain, plus the pilot.


ETA: Mayor Adams just said in the presser that all six have in fact been killed. Four dead immediately, two taken to the hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.

 

[PrairieWind]

Holy cow that is horrific. I can't imagine what happened. No reports of it hitting anything. That brief video shows the cabin falling to the water, no rotor, no tail, nothing. Why did the whole thing come apart in air?

 

[iamshadow21]

Holy cow that is horrific. I can't imagine what happened. No reports of it hitting anything. That brief video shows the cabin falling to the water, no rotor, no tail, nothing. Why did the whole thing come apart in air?

I'm terrified of flying anyway, but the only way I would ever get on a helicopter would be if I needed a medivac and there was no other option.

They're wonderful, they're versatile in a way planes aren't, but when things go wrong it is absolutely unforgiving. I wouldn't remove them from the world, they perform such useful tasks, and anyone who loves them or goes in them for fun all power to them, but they are very much not for me at all.

MOO

 

[PrairieWind]

I'm terrified of flying anyway, but the only way I would ever get on a helicopter would be if I needed a medivac and there was no other option.

They're wonderful, they're versatile in a way planes aren't, but when things go wrong it is absolutely unforgiving. I wouldn't remove them from the world, they perform such useful tasks, and anyone who loves them or goes in them for fun all power to them, but they are very much not for me at all.

MOO

Helicopters are complicated machines with a lot of moving parts. And unfortunately when something goes wrong, it is often catastrophic .

 

[Bigditch]

Somehow, the propeller came free in the air.

Perhaps the 'Jesus nut'?

Jesus nut - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The helicopter in question is a Bell 206, which is the model mentioned in an example of an accident on the Wikipedia page, so it definitely has one.

MOO

interesting definition.

 

[iamshadow21]

interesting definition.

When it's the only thing keeping you in the air, then you learn to respect what that means.

The accident given as an example on that page, where one was removed and not replaced as it should have been, the helicopter in that case flew for about ten minutes before it fell out of the sky.

This incident, the helicopter had been flying for roughly fifteen minutes.

I am not a pilot, or any kind of air crash investigator, but I think the Jesus nut is going to factor here.

The fact that the propeller came off in mid air and was observed still spinning separate from the falling cabin. There's not much that would result in that.

Jesus nut incidents are rare, a bunch of more modern helicopters don't have one, but I think chances are good it was the failure point this time.

MOO

 

[dotr]

Apr 10, 2025 #hudsonriver #newyork #news
A helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront Thursday, killing six people in the latest high-profile aviation disaster in the U.S., according to witnesses and a law enforcement official.

Started streaming 3 hours ago
A Helicopter has crashed in the Hudson River, officials said.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Agustin Escobar, president and CEO of Siemens in Spain, his wife and their three children were killed in the fiery crash in which a tourist chopper plunged into the murky waters.

Gut-wrenching photos on New York Helicopter Tours website show the bundled up five family members smiling in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter and strapped inside the aircraft.
(…)
Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene and two more were declared dead at the hospital, officials said.

NYC Hudson River helicopter crash victims ID’d as family-of-5 on vacation from Spain

Photos on New York Helicopter Tours website show the bundled up five family members smiling in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter and strapped inside the aircraft.

nypost.com

 

[Arkay]

I went on a helicopter ride, years ago, in Hawaii with my ex-husband.

It was either Kauai or Maui, I can’t recall, but it was a waterfall sightseeing trip.

I had a miserable time and ruined it for the other passengers, because the up and down motion made me throw up throughout the whole ride. I wasn’t scared, just embarrassed.

Flash forward to now and I would never go. They seem way too fragile.

This poor family. I’ve been to Barcelona and had a wonderful time there.

Probably yesterday this CEO was worried about tariffs.

Life is short.

R.I.P.

 

[dotr]

Haunting final images of tech boss and his family before tragic helicopter crash

Agustín Escobar, president and CEO of Siemens Spain, his wife and their three children were killed in the Hudson River helicopter crash in New York City on Thursday

www.mirror.co.uk

Agustín Escobar pictured with his family moments before their doomed trip (
Image: New York Helicopter Tours LLC)



'It is understood the Escobar family had only arrived in New York City earlier on Thursday and made the sightseeing trip one of their first priorities.

But 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." It has not yet been established what caused the Bell 206 aircraft to plummet from the skies during the Escobars' doomed tour.'

 

[iamshadow21]

This article has quite a long statement from the head of the company. He's remarkably frank, sounds honest and heartbroken and shell shocked.

Hudson River helicopter crash update: Six dead after helicopter crashes into New York's Hudson River

A helicopter pilot turned aviation lawyer also comments and says that it was the result of a 'catastrophic failure' and there was nothing the pilot could have done.

MOO

 

[airportwoman]

I agree, it look like the rotor blades completely snapped off and there was nothing to keep the helicopter in the air. I hope they never knew what was happening to them. At least it didn't take anyone out on the ground.

I also remember this disaster that happened in 2007. Didn't realize it was that long ago; I also found radar footage of the helicopter's track, and they were doomed from the second they boarded. The pilots were obviously trying to get the copter on the ground without killing anyone else.

Forever in memory: Transplant team lost in lifesaving mission

On June 4, 2007, a team of two U-M surgeons, David Ashburn, M.D., Martinus (Martin) Spoor, M.D., two U-M transplant donation specialists, Richard Chenault II and Richard LaPensee, and two Martin Air pilots, Dennis Hoyes and William Serra, were on a mission to save the life of a man in desperate...

hr.umich.edu

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Mayor: Family was to celebrate child's birthday when NYC sightseeing helicopter crashed, killing 6

Authorities including the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

www.detroitnews.com

New York — A family from Spain was about to celebrate the ninth birthday of one of their children when their sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, killing all six people aboard in the latest U.S. aviation disaster, officials said Friday.

Authorities including the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating Thursday's mid-afternoon crash. No new information on the possible cause was released Friday morning...

What we know about Hudson River helicopter crash

All six aboard the tourist helicopter were killed Thursday afternoon.

www.nbcnews.com

A family of five visiting from Spain and the pilot were killed when what was meant to be a helicopter joyride over Manhattan to celebrate a birthday careened into tragedy Thursday afternoon.

Overnight, authorities worked to recover the wreckage from the murky depths of the waters, as questions remain about what caused the crash in which the chopper appeared to suddenly break apart in midair and plunge upside down into the Hudson River.

Here's what we know so far...

 

[steeltowngirl]

Mayor: Family was to celebrate child's birthday when NYC sightseeing helicopter crashed, killing 6

Authorities including the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

www.detroitnews.com

New York — A family from Spain was about to celebrate the ninth birthday of one of their children when their sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, killing all six people aboard in the latest U.S. aviation disaster, officials said Friday.

Authorities including the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating Thursday's mid-afternoon crash. No new information on the possible cause was released Friday morning...

What we know about Hudson River helicopter crash

All six aboard the tourist helicopter were killed Thursday afternoon.

www.nbcnews.com

A family of five visiting from Spain and the pilot were killed when what was meant to be a helicopter joyride over Manhattan to celebrate a birthday careened into tragedy Thursday afternoon.

Overnight, authorities worked to recover the wreckage from the murky depths of the waters, as questions remain about what caused the crash in which the chopper appeared to suddenly break apart in midair and plunge upside down into the Hudson River.

Here's what we know so far...

From the article, a photo of a shoe and a pink cup….

 

[Charlot123]

This is not MSM, but I follow one NYC teacher. When the tragedy was discussed, another man, a tourist, commented on his page that he was taking a flight on "the same" helicopter on April 1st and noticed that "the turbulence was unusual". He said to the pilot that the rotor might be "unbalanced" but the pilot paid no attention. I don't know what to make of it but keep a screenshot of the post and the photo of the helicopter he flew in just in case. Advised this unknown man to report it to the NTSB commission, not just post, he has photos. JMO, it is the company's fault unless it is a brand new helicopter, but to understand what happened is important. ETA: horribly sorry for the family. RIP. I can't even imagine the events if the helicopter fell anywhere else in the city.

 

[iamshadow21]

According to this article, it was the sixth flight of the day for the helicopter.

New York City helicopter crash latest: Authorities search for answers after 6 killed

An investigation is underway into the helicopter crash that killed six people -- among them a family of Spanish tourists -- when the craft went down on Thursday.

abcnews.go.com

So, that rules out a situation like the other incident on Wikipedia, where a Jesus nut was not replaced after maintenance that included painting. In that case, the helicopter crashed around ten minutes after takeoff.

But if this aircraft had been out five times already that day, it couldn't have been flying that much without that part in place.

Failure of this or other vital parts is still very much on the table.

MOO

 

[Arkay]

Hudson helicopter crash pilot was Navy SEALs veteran, 36,

Sean Johnson, 36, had recently moved to New York to begin his aviation career.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Finally some news about the pilot.

How truly terrible. He seems to have had an illustrious career.

IMO