Tragic new information has emerged about a helicopter crash in New York City that killed a Siemens executive and his family yesterday.
Agustín Escobar, the former President of Siemens Spain, his wife Merce Camprubí Montal and their three children aged four, five and 11 were declared dead shortly after the Bell 206 aircraft careered into the Hudson River.
It is said the propeller “broke off mid-air,” sending the doomed chopper plummeting to the ground at speed. Now, it has reported that the family had booked the sightseeing flight as a treat to celebrate one of the children’s birthdays.
Catalan radio station RAC1 reported today: “They had hired a helicopter ride to the Statue of Liberty because it was one of the children’s birthdays.” The pilot was the sixth person confirmed dead in the tragedy.
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In a heartbreaking tribute posted to Facebook, pilot Sean Johnson’s co-pilot, Earl Watters, said: “With a heavy heart I post this…Thanks to everyone that has reached out to me.
“Yes, the pilot of the helicopter crash in NY was my Co-Pilot and great friend on Boomer last year Sean Johnson. (Navy Veteran). The world has lost an all around great person and amazing friend. He definitely changed my life for the better and I just want to celebrate his life and how he lived. Always and forever a BOOMER crew member Godspeed Amigo.” The message was posted alongside a collection of photos of himself and Johnson in helicopters.
Another friend of Johnson, Niko Tiapula, said: “RIP to one of the most outstanding men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I wish we had one more to chance to link up and talk about the success we’ve had in our lives since the last time we saw each other. You will be greatly missed. Til Valhalla, brother.”
The pilot of the doomed helicopter has been named as 36-year-old Navy SEAL veteran, Sean Johnson.
Johnson had recently moved to New York City to continue his aviation career – and was operating the Bell 206 chopper as part of a sightseeing tour for the Spanish family. He had previously worked as a gunner’s mate and was responsible for fixing equipment, according to local news outlet Gothamist. He also had a stint working in TV, and worked as a celebrity bodyguard before becoming a pilot.
His devastated wife, Kathryn Johnson said the 36-year-old had only recently moved to New York to begin his aviation career. She told the outlet: “I’m just at loss for words. I don’t even know what happened,’ Johnson’s widow, Kathryn Johnson.”
An executive from Siemens, the tech company where Agustin Escobar was a CEO, is reportedly travelling to New York to help repatriate the family who tragically died in Thursday’s crash. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said on X: “We are in touch with an executive from Siemens … We will liaison with him and help the families with the necessary steps to bring their loved ones home.”
The family who tragically died on board the doomed Hudson River chopper were on a trip to New York to celebrate the birthday of one of their young daughters, according to Spanish outlet Antena3. They had just landed from Barcelona, and were reportedly on their first day touring the city when the tragedy happened.
The crash today is the latest in a long list of helicopter disasters in New York City.
At least 32 people have died in helicopter crashes in city since 1977 and the latest seeing five members of a Spanish family dying along with a pilot.
The previous deadly crash took place in 2019, when a helicopter used for business travel crashed into the roof of a Manhattan skyscraper in restricted airspace, killing the pilot.
In terms of death toll, this is the worst accident since 2018, when five of the six occupants of a helicopter that had taken off from New Jersey died and fell into the icy waters of the East River, Manhattan’s other river.
It has also been revealed that the company that operated this latest doomed tourist helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River also had a crash in June 2013. A Bell 206 chopper belonging to New York Helicopter was carrying four Swedish tourists when it lost power and made an emergency landing. Incredibly everybody on board survived.
A Spanish family were in New York on a birthday holiday for one of their children when the helicopter crashed.
Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three kids — ages four, five and 11 — all died along when the helicopter went down in the Hudson. The pilot was also killed in the tragedy and his identity has not yet been made public.
Not long after the helicopter had taken off, the unidentified pilot, 36, reportedly radioed his base to warn that they were running out of fuel.
New York Helicopter, the company that operated the tour, has been in business for 30 years and claims to offer “experience and safety” on short trips to view the city’s aerial landscape, according to its website.
It states it is one of the leading companies offering helicopter tours with an “industry-leading safety record,” as well as “affordable” prices for short trips of less than 30 minutes to see the city’s monuments. It also indicates that it only employs pilots who have certificates issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and who have accumulated “thousands” of hours in “civil, military, and law enforcement” operations.
Agustin Escobar, his wife and three children were on a 20 minute tour to take in the sights of New York when the helicopter crashed.
New York Helicopters operated the trip which according to its website costs 274 dollars plus a further 50 dollars per passenger for additional costs including taxes and fuel.
The 20 minute trip takes in tourist attractions including Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden.
New York Helicopters operates more than 30,000 flights each year from the Wall Street Heliport. Most of its clients are tourists, although it also provides private services to business owners and residents. The company offers three tours from Manhattan: the Liberty Tour, the Central Park Tour, and the Grand Tour.
The tech giant has shared a new photograph of their former Spanish chief executive Agustín Escobar, who died along with his wife and three children in yesterday’s crash.
In a tribute earlier today, Siemens CEO Roland Busch wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend, Agustin Escobar, and his beloved family.
“Agustin was the CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Agustin’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. We will miss him and his family immensely.”
Along with the family of five, the helicopter pilot also died after yesterday’s crash in the Hudson River, taking the death toll to six.
He is reported to be a 36-year-old man, though his identity has not yet been confirmed by authorities.
As emergency workers continue to deal with the wreckage in the Hudson River, it will feel more like winter than spring in New York today.
A Northeast storm is set to bring some morning snow as well as rain, cloud, and strong coastal winds, while forecasters have issued a travel warning.
“It looks like a general 1-2 inches of rain will fall on much of the Northeast with some places picking up 3 inches,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said.
Read more: New York to be blanketed by snow and rain after deadly Hudson River helicopter crash
In the new audio clip, emergency responders are heard communicating over radio following the first reports of a downed helicopter in the Hudson River.
After initial attempts are made to confirm what had happened, one of the workers is heard saying “yep, it’s upside down in the water here”, before another voice announces that all boat traffic along the section of the river will now be diverted.
Yesterday’s incident has reignited concerns about safety of flying in the US following a string of deadly crashes and near misses.
Seven people were killed when a medical transport plane plummeted into a Philadelphia neighbourhood in January.
Just two days earlier, an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter collided in mid air in Washington, killing 67 people in the deadliest US air disaster in a generation.
In February, a Bering Air commuter plane crashed on sea ice about 30 miles southwest of Nome, Alaska, killing all 10 people on board.
The Spanish family killed during a Hudson River sightseeing trip had booked their doomed flight to celebrate the birthday of one of the three young children who died, it was reported today.
Siemens boss Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three kids aged four to 11 who have not been named, all died along with the chopper pilot.
Catalan radio station RAC1 reported today: “They had hired a helicopter ride to the Statue of Liberty because it was one of the children’s birthdays.”
It did not say which of the youngsters was celebrating their birthday.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has claimed that airspace in the area surrounding New York is “too crowded” – and is calling for the US government to step in.
He claimed his office, which is responsible for New Jersey, had raised the issue of overcrowded airspace in New York at the federal level “for a decade” with “no response”.
Calling for a ban on tourist helicopters, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “This is not the first crash that has happened and the reality is that the airspace here is too crowded over a densely populated area to allow this.
“These tourist helicopters should not be allowed and hopefully this terrible tragedy brings some change so that it will never happen again to any other family.”
Miguel Angel Ruiz, mayor of the city of Puertollano a two-and-a-half hour drive south of Madrid where Siemens boss Agustin Escobar came from, described him today as one of its most “brilliant and committed sons”.
Puertollano, which has a population of around 50,000 inhabitants, is in the province of Ciudad Real which is in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region.
In a statement, the local council said: “He was an outstanding professional in the field of engineering and business management.
“He studied Industrial Engineering at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas and completed his training with two Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Management, taken at the University of Alcala and the Instituto de Empresa, respectively.
“His renowned business career had helped him to be recognized in 2023 as a favourite son of Castilla-La Mancha.
“Escobar was very involved in the industrial life of Puertollano. From his responsibility in the company SIEMENS he had participated in the Green Steel project planned for the city.
“Puertollano City Council conveys its condolences to the relatives, friends and loved ones of Agustin Escobar and his family, and accompanies in grief all those who mourn his loss today.
“The city deeply regrets the departure of one of its most brilliant and committed sons.”
CEO of New York Helicopters, Michael Roth, confirmed that the aircraft was out of fuel just minutes into their trip – and recalled the what could be one of the last radio calls made by the pilot just moments before the crash.
“He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,’ Roth told The Telegraph.
Roth said that he started to get messages before one of his other pilots flew over the Hudson “and saw the helicopter upside down.”
New York helicopter crash pilot made haunting radio call moments before plunging into Hudson River
Tributes were being paid today by fellow business leaders following the tragedy.
Strategic global account executive Jon Alfaro wrote online: “My heart goes out to the Siemens organisation for their loss. My condolences to the Escobar family.”
Lufti ilteris Oney, a 1WorldSync boss, wrote: “You and your family rest in peace… Deepest condolences to friends and all Siemens family.” Consultant Barbara Coward: “I’m so sorry for this terrible loss. My heart goes out to family, friends, colleagues and former classmates at IE Business School.”
Richard Huntington, co-founder at XYZ Energy Group, added: “May you and your family find everlasting peace. Prayers and condolences to friends and family left behind.”
Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez wrote on X: “The news reaching us today of the helicopter crash in the Hudson River is devastating.
“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.”
Michael Roth, CEO of tour company New York Helicopter which owned the craft, has said his family have been left ‘devastated’ by the crash.
He told CBS News: “I don’t know anything how this went down.
“The only thing I can tell you, we are devastated. My wife hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon.”
US President Donald Trump wrote about the helicopter crash on Truth Social overnight – and described footage of the incident as “horrendous”.
He wrote: “Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us.
“The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims.”
“Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!
Merce’s brother Joan Camprubi Montal was identified last year by Catalan press as a contender to become president of Barcelona FC.
The telecommunications engineer leads a platform called ‘Som Un Clam’ which was formally launched last October and has called for current president Joan Laporta’s resignation.
Reports last summer said the collective had been holding meetings for over two years but had decided to take action to “save the club” from what it called its “critical” state under Laporta’s leadership.
Som Un Clam said in its letter of presentation last October: “Som un clam, which aims to be a driving force for change in FC Barcelona, was born out of concern for the situation the club is experiencing and the risk of extinction of its social model, with two years of intense experience.”
In a statement posted on X in January it demanded the immediate resignation of the board of directors, saying: The mismanagement and the social crisis at the club have reached an unsustainable point.”
Analysis of footage released so far suggests that “catatrophic mechanical failure” left the helicopter pilot with no hope of saving the aircraft, experts have said.
Justin Green, an aviation lawyer who was in the Marine Corps, said it was possible the helicopter’s main rotors struck against the tail boom, breaking it apart and causing the cabin to free-fall.
He explained: “They were dead as soon as whatever happened, happened.
“There’s no indication they had any control over the craft. No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lifts.
“It’s like a rock falling to the ground. It’s heartbreaking.”
In a briefing earlier, New York mayor Eric Adams confirmed all six people on board the helicopter had died, and had since been removed from the water.
Stood in front of the Hudson River, he told reporters: “Our hearts go out to the families of those on board.
“It’s still fresh, it’s still new, we have an investigation ongoing and we lift all of the family members up in prayer.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has identified the helicopter as a Bell 206, a model widely used in the US throughout commercial and government aviation, including by sightseeing companies, TV news stations and police.
It was initially developed for the US Army before being adapted for other uses. Thousands have been manufactured over the years.
Augstin Escobar worked for the tech company Siemens for more than 27 years.
He most recently served as global CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, according to his LinkedIn account.
In late 2022, he briefly became president and CEO of Siemens Spain.
In a post about the position, he thanked his family and described them as “my endless source of energy and happiness.”
Escobar regularly posted about the importance of sustainability in the rail industry and often travelled internationally for work, having visited both Britain and India in the past month.
He also was vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain, after being handed the title in 2023.
Read more: Who is tech boss killed in horror helicopter crash alongside wife and kids
Mum-of-three Merce Camprubi Montal, who died along with tech boss husband Augstin Escobar and her children in the crash, is related to former Barcelona FC president Agustí Montal.
He headed the club from 1969 to 1977 and is mainly remembered for clinching the signing of Johan Cruyff, who was at the time considered the best player in the world.
Mr Montal died in 2017 at the age of 82.
Video of the crash suggests a “catastrophic mechanical failure” left the pilot with no chance to save the helicopter, said Justin Green, an aviation lawyer who was a helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps.
It is possible the helicopter’s main rotors struck the tail boom, breaking it apart and causing the cabin to free fall, Mr Green said.
“They were dead as soon as whatever happened happened,” Mr Green said. “There’s no indication they had any control over the craft. No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lifts. It’s like a rock falling to the ground. It’s heartbreaking.”
A witness, Bruce Wall, said he saw the helicopter “falling apart” in midair – with the tail and propeller coming off. The propeller was still spinning without the helicopter as it fell.
Dani Horbiak was at her Jersey City home when she heard what sounded like “several gunshots in a row, almost, in the air.” She looked out her window and saw the chopper “splash in several pieces into the river.”
The helicopter was spinning uncontrollably with “a bunch of smoke coming out” before it slammed into the water, said Lesly Camacho, a hostess at a restaurant along the river in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Rescue boats circled the submerged aircraft within minutes of impact near the end of a long maintenance pier for a ventilation tower serving the Holland Tunnel. Recovery crews hoisted the mangled helicopter out of the water just after 8pm using a floating crane.
These chilling images capture a tech boss, his wife and their three children moments before their deaths in a terrifying helicopter crash.
Agustín Escobar and his family grin warmly as they stand on the helipad before their New York Helicopter sightseeing trip. They are later seen smiling at the camera inside the Bell 206 aircraft, which would minutes later tumble from the sky into the Hudson River in New York City.
The five relatives were declared dead following the impact on Thursday, a disaster which is one of the deadliest helicopter crashes in New York City in nearly 20 years. The heartbreaking pictures, now widely shared online, are thought to be the last photographs the family took together.
Haunting final images of Agustín Escobar and his family before helicopter crash
The president of the Spanish branch of the technology giant Siemens and his family are among the victims of the New York City helicopter crash, it is understood.
The sightseeing chopper broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the Hudson River on Thursday. It killed all those on board, including the pilot and a family-of-five tourists from Spain. The relatives were Agustín Escobar, his wife and their three children. Mr Escobar, president and CEO of Siemens in Spain, and his family had just arrived in the Big Apple from Barcelona earlier in the day, law enforcement sources said.
Heartbreaking photos show the family posing on the helipad and inside the aircraft before the crash. New York Helicopter runs the tours over the Big Apple, and touts itself for providing comfort and safety to customers.
Victims of helicopter crash identified after terrifying ordeal
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