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4 April 2025
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Tourist helicopter crashes into New York’s Hudson River, killing all six aboard, US
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A Bell 206 LongRanger IV on a sightseeing tour crashed into the Hudson River near Jersey City, New Jersey, across the river from New York City on Thursday, 10 April 2025. All six onboard, a Spanish family with three children and the pilot, were killed. The incident happened near the Holland Tunnel ventilation shaft in Jersey City, not far from River Drive South and Newport Parkway, near the Water's Soul sculpture. The aircraft, which was operated by New York Helicopter, was on its eighth flight of the day. At 14h59 EDT, the helicopter took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport on its eighth flight of the day and travelled along the southern part of Manhattan and circled the Statue of Liberty before it flew up the western side of Manhattan. At 15h08, the helicopter turned around near the George Washington Bridge before turning south along the New Jersey shoreline.
"NYPD units from aviation, harbour, scuba and patrol all responded, with our first units arriving at the site within minutes. Our NYPD divers entered the water, along with rescue personnel from FDNY, Port Authority and various New Jersey agencies," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "NYPD divers pulled four people from the crash site, and FDNY divers recovered an additional two. Immediate lifesaving measures were undertaken on the vessels on the scene as well as the adjoining pier. Four victims were pronounced dead on scene and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries."
Emergency responders were gathering on both sides of the river. On the Manhattan side, the NYPD was mobilizing on the West Side Highway and Spring Street.
Prior to the crash, the pilot radioed to say that he was returning to the helipad to refuel. About 18 minutes into the flight at 15h17, the helicopter experienced an in-flight breakup, the main rotor breaking off, causing it to fall at a 45-degree angle and crash upside-down into the Hudson River opposite Pier 40. The fuselage landed in 1,5m deep waters, while other pieces landed in 23m deep waters. The water temperature was 10 degrees Celsius at the time of the crash.
Witnesses described hearing loud noises before seeing the helicopter fall apart mid-air, with debris falling into the river. Emergency responders arrived to find the helicopter submerged. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others succumbed to their injuries at Jersey City Medical Centre. All bodies of the victims of the crash were recovered
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Bell 206 LongRanger IV (L-4). Local excursion company New York Helicopter Charter Inc. was leasing the aircraft from Louisiana helicopter company Meridian Helicopters. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, it was built in 2004 and had an airworthiness certificate issued in 2016 that was valid until 2029. The helicopter's last major inspection was on 1 March 2025.
Passengers and crew
Six people were on board the helicopter. Law enforcement sources said that the occupants of the helicopter were a family of five from Barcelona, Spain, consisting of Siemens Spain's president Agustín Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three children aged 4, 8 and 10. The pilot was 36-year-old Navy veteran Seankese Johnson.
Weather
There were winds of 9 to 12mph (14 to 19km/h) coming from the south and southeast, with occasional gusts up to 21mph (34km/h) around the time of the crash, according to a weather station. Visibility at the surface was good for up to 10mi (16km) but it was cloudy as a low pressure system moved into the region, bringing light rain in the afternoon and evening.
Operator
The operator of the helicopter was local excursion company New York Helicopter, which has also been known as New York Helicopter Charter Inc. and New York Helicopter Tours LLC. The company was founded in the 1990s by Michael Roth. New York Helicopter had two prior crashes.
Investigation
The FAA confirmed it is investigating the crash along with the NTSB, Bell Textron and Rolls-Royce. The NTSB chair and investigators travelled to the site of the crash the same night and held their first media briefing the following day.
The main fuselage with the cockpit and cabin, the forward portion of the tail boom, the horizontal stabiliser finlets and the vertical fin, were recovered on April 11. Recovery efforts concluded on April 14 after divers using Side-scanning sonar recovered the helicopter’s main rotor, main gear box, tail rotor and a large portion of the tail boom. Some of the recovered parts will be sent to the NTSB laboratories in Washington for closer inspection.
The helicopter was not equipped with any flight recorders. No onboard video recorders or camera recorders have been recovered and none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used for the investigation.
NTSB investigators met with representatives from the helicopter's operator, New York Helicopter, to review operational records, policies and procedures, safety management systems and the pilot’s experience. Investigators also examined two exemplar helicopters.
New York City has a history of accidents involving helicopters. In 2018, five passengers aboard a helicopter died when it crashed into the East River, while the pilot survived. The helicopter was on a charter flight that featured an open door to allow passengers to take photographs of the skyline.
A New York City Police spokesperson said that police boats had assisted in Thursday’s rescue efforts.
Helicopter safety has been a topic of discussion in the US Congress after 67 people were killed in a crash between an American Airlines regional jet and Army helicopter on 29 January 2025 near Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC The FAA has since permanently restricted helicopter traffic near that airport and is reviewing helicopter operations near other major airports.
Sources: New York City Fire Department (FDNY), The New York Times, CBS News, ABC News
"NYPD units from aviation, harbour, scuba and patrol all responded, with our first units arriving at the site within minutes. Our NYPD divers entered the water, along with rescue personnel from FDNY, Port Authority and various New Jersey agencies," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "NYPD divers pulled four people from the crash site, and FDNY divers recovered an additional two. Immediate lifesaving measures were undertaken on the vessels on the scene as well as the adjoining pier. Four victims were pronounced dead on scene and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries."
Emergency responders were gathering on both sides of the river. On the Manhattan side, the NYPD was mobilizing on the West Side Highway and Spring Street.
Prior to the crash, the pilot radioed to say that he was returning to the helipad to refuel. About 18 minutes into the flight at 15h17, the helicopter experienced an in-flight breakup, the main rotor breaking off, causing it to fall at a 45-degree angle and crash upside-down into the Hudson River opposite Pier 40. The fuselage landed in 1,5m deep waters, while other pieces landed in 23m deep waters. The water temperature was 10 degrees Celsius at the time of the crash.
Witnesses described hearing loud noises before seeing the helicopter fall apart mid-air, with debris falling into the river. Emergency responders arrived to find the helicopter submerged. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others succumbed to their injuries at Jersey City Medical Centre. All bodies of the victims of the crash were recovered
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Bell 206 LongRanger IV (L-4). Local excursion company New York Helicopter Charter Inc. was leasing the aircraft from Louisiana helicopter company Meridian Helicopters. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, it was built in 2004 and had an airworthiness certificate issued in 2016 that was valid until 2029. The helicopter's last major inspection was on 1 March 2025.
Passengers and crew
Six people were on board the helicopter. Law enforcement sources said that the occupants of the helicopter were a family of five from Barcelona, Spain, consisting of Siemens Spain's president Agustín Escobar, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three children aged 4, 8 and 10. The pilot was 36-year-old Navy veteran Seankese Johnson.
Weather
There were winds of 9 to 12mph (14 to 19km/h) coming from the south and southeast, with occasional gusts up to 21mph (34km/h) around the time of the crash, according to a weather station. Visibility at the surface was good for up to 10mi (16km) but it was cloudy as a low pressure system moved into the region, bringing light rain in the afternoon and evening.
Operator
The operator of the helicopter was local excursion company New York Helicopter, which has also been known as New York Helicopter Charter Inc. and New York Helicopter Tours LLC. The company was founded in the 1990s by Michael Roth. New York Helicopter had two prior crashes.
Investigation
The FAA confirmed it is investigating the crash along with the NTSB, Bell Textron and Rolls-Royce. The NTSB chair and investigators travelled to the site of the crash the same night and held their first media briefing the following day.
The main fuselage with the cockpit and cabin, the forward portion of the tail boom, the horizontal stabiliser finlets and the vertical fin, were recovered on April 11. Recovery efforts concluded on April 14 after divers using Side-scanning sonar recovered the helicopter’s main rotor, main gear box, tail rotor and a large portion of the tail boom. Some of the recovered parts will be sent to the NTSB laboratories in Washington for closer inspection.
The helicopter was not equipped with any flight recorders. No onboard video recorders or camera recorders have been recovered and none of the helicopter avionics onboard recorded information that could be used for the investigation.
NTSB investigators met with representatives from the helicopter's operator, New York Helicopter, to review operational records, policies and procedures, safety management systems and the pilot’s experience. Investigators also examined two exemplar helicopters.
New York City has a history of accidents involving helicopters. In 2018, five passengers aboard a helicopter died when it crashed into the East River, while the pilot survived. The helicopter was on a charter flight that featured an open door to allow passengers to take photographs of the skyline.
A New York City Police spokesperson said that police boats had assisted in Thursday’s rescue efforts.
Helicopter safety has been a topic of discussion in the US Congress after 67 people were killed in a crash between an American Airlines regional jet and Army helicopter on 29 January 2025 near Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC The FAA has since permanently restricted helicopter traffic near that airport and is reviewing helicopter operations near other major airports.
Sources: New York City Fire Department (FDNY), The New York Times, CBS News, ABC News
