New York Helicopter tours owner, Michael Roth said the pilot called to say they had run of fuel and needed to make an emergency landing only for chopper carrying Spanish family, husband Agustín Escobar, Siemens Spain CEO, wife, Merce Camprubi Montal and their 3 kids to be killed.
How could they have run out of fuel? The pilot of the tour helicopter that crashed into New York City‘s Hudson River warned that they were out of fuel just moments before plunging and killing all six on board, including a family of five from Spain.
Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens, and his executive wife and their three children died in the crash, the New York Times reported. The pilot is yet to be formally identified, save that he was 36 years old.
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The CEO of the company operating the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River expressed devastation, saying, “I don’t know anything how this went down… we are devastated. My wife hasn’t stopped crying since this afternoon. We’re a small company.” #New_York_City https://t.co/KCd8DE3uun pic.twitter.com/5aMLCSNnkR
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) April 11, 2025
New York Helicopter tours owner Michael Roth: ‘We are all devastated’
The tragedy took place at around 3:15pm on Thursday, closer to the New Jersey side of the Hudson River just off the tip of Lower Manhattan.
Calls to emergency services were received at approximately 3:17pm, just 17 minutes after it took off from downtown Manhattan.
Michael Roth, 71, who owns New York Helicopter Tours which provided the tour and the chopper, said that the aircraft was out of fuel just minutes into their trip.
‘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 a ton of phone messages before one of his other pilots flew over the Hudson ‘and saw the helicopter upside down.’
‘We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.
‘The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster,’ Roth told the outlet.
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Did you notice this👇
🔴 NEW YORK :📹MOMENT OF CRASH VIDEO SHOWS NO ROTORS, NO TAIL ON CHOPPER
On board, there was the pilot and a Family from Spain -2 adults and 3 KIDS-, who were visiting U.S, taking a tour of New York City.
All died.
-AP pic.twitter.com/E4jQSUSVVC— LW World News 🌏 (@LoveWorld_Peopl) April 10, 2025
NYC helicopter owner says he has no clue what led to Hudson river crash
CEO Michael Roth told the Wall Street Journal at the time that the chopper underwent daily routine inspections but had ‘no clue why’ the aircraft malfunctioned mid-flight.
‘The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter. And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business,’ Roth told the outlet.
‘The only thing I could guess – I got no clue – is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know. This is horrific. But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break.’
When asked, Roth declined to discuss how often the helicopter was inspected or how recently, saying, ‘We follow all the rules and more.’
Footage captured the Bell 206 helicopter breaking apart midair and then plummeting into the frigid waters around Pier 40 in Manhattan near the Hoboken border of New Jersey around 3:15 p.m., prompting a large-scale rescue mission.
Helicopter split in two before plunging into Hudson river
Photos showed the family posing on the helipad and inside the aircraft before the crash.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that the executive and his family were onboard the tour helicopter.
Escobar was appointed to serve as the CEO of Siemens in Spain in 2022 after previously serving as the CEO of Siemens Mobility Spain.
He also held various positions in Spain between 1998 and 2010, primarily in the energy sector. Additionally, Escobar served as the vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain.
A regard of Escobar’s spouse, Mercè Camprubí, work profile, revealed her to be as equally high achieving as her husband. Noted her Linkedin profile: Global Commercialization Manager for Siemens along with having Latin South America experience and previously working as a consultant in Manhattan.
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.’
Footage of the helicopter that crashed in the Hudson River in Manhattan, New York, flying erratically before crashing. pic.twitter.com/bGA51Y57pg
— Breaking News (@TheNewsTrending) April 10, 2025
The aircraft was operated by New York Helicopter, a local tour company. The chopper appeared to be a N216MH – a Bell 206L-4, according to Flight Radar.
The helicopter flew for approximately 16 minutes before going down into the water. It took off from the Wall Street Heliport and did a circle near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge at about 1000 feet.
Investigators said it was too early to say what may have caused the crash. Video showed the helicopter sinking into the water as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
As of 5:15 p.m., rescue efforts appeared to have concluded, with officials now focused on recovering parts of the aircraft, reported Fox 5.
What went wrong?
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, where they ‘succumbed to their injuries,’ NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash. The Coast Guard has established a safety zone in the Hudson River, stopping vessel traffic a mile north and south of the river, which is impacting ferry service.
The water was about 50 degrees at the time of the crash. The skies were overcast with visibility of about 10 miles, with wind gusts of up to 21 miles per hour, CNN reported.
Surface visibility was considered good — 10 miles — but it was cloudy as a system is moving into the region, bringing light rain to the region this afternoon and evening. The water was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other footage showed the chopper ‘flying erratically’ just before it fell into the water, while other clips showed pieces of the aircraft ‘flying off.’
At least 32 people have died in helicopter crashes in NYC since 1977 — most recently in 2019 when a helicopter used for executive travel hit the roof of Manhattan skyscraper in restricted airspace and the pilot was killed.
