A devastating tourist helicopter crash over New York’s Hudson River has left six people dead, including a Spanish family of five and the pilot, shaking the city and reigniting questions around air tour safety.
The crash occurred on Thursday afternoon, just after 3 p.m. local time. The Bell 206 helicopter, operated by New York Helicopter Tours, had taken off from a downtown Manhattan heliport and was flying north along the Hudson River. According to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the chopper made a U-turn near the George Washington Bridge and began its return southward when it suddenly went down, crashing upside down into the river near Lower Manhattan, close to Hoboken, New Jersey.
Among the victims was Agustin Escobar, the CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, a major branch of the German engineering giant Siemens. Escobar was on board with his wife and three children, who were visiting New York as tourists.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Agustin Escobar and his family,” a Siemens spokesperson said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Witnesses described a chilling scene. Dani Horbiak, a local resident working from home in Jersey City, said she looked out her window and saw the helicopter breaking apart mid-air. “It looked like pieces were falling from the sky before splashing into the river,” she recalled. “I think I even heard the propeller hitting something before it crashed.”
Emergency crews responded swiftly. Rescue boats arrived on the scene within minutes, locating the aircraft submerged upside down with only its landing gear visible above the surface. Divers entered the freezing water to retrieve the victims. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, while the remaining two succumbed to injuries in the hospital.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are both involved, with the NTSB taking the lead. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and her team were scheduled to arrive in New York Thursday night and plan to hold a press briefing soon.
This tragedy has once again raised concerns over the safety of air tours in Manhattan, where helicopters are a common sight offering aerial views of the skyline. New York Helicopter Tours, the company operating the doomed flight, has sightseeing packages starting at $114 per person but has yet to comment on the incident.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that the crash occurred in a Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA), meaning no direct air traffic control guidance was being provided to the aircraft at the time. He also revealed that the FAA will conduct an internal safety review following the tragedy.
The crash is a grim reminder of a similar incident in 2018, when five passengers died after a helicopter plunged into the East River during a photo charter flight.
As the investigation unfolds, the victims’ families—and the world—await answers.
