Smiling brightly for the camera, a young girl sat proudly in the cockpit of a helicopter on the afternoon before her ninth birthday. The family was about to set off on a scenic flight over New York City’s famous skyline—a special outing with her parents and younger siblings.
Tragically, just 16 minutes later, the dream trip ended in disaster. The eight-year-old, who had traveled from Spain with her family, lost her life when the helicopter crashed into the Hudson River at approximately 3:15 PM.
Her siblings, aged ten and four, also perished in the crash, along with their father, Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive, and their mother, Merce Camprubi Montal.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the children’s ages and issued a statement: “The devastating crash was a real unfortunate situation. And our heart goes out to the family members.”
The family had just arrived from Barcelona and were celebrating the girl’s upcoming birthday—today—by touring the city. The helicopter ride was meant to be a memorable gift for both the young girl and her mother Merce, who was also said to be celebrating her birthday.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop commented, “The family flew out to extend the trip a couple days in NYC. They were celebrating the mom’s 40th birthday with the tourist helicopter flight yesterday.”
It remains unclear whether Fulop meant the trip as a whole was for Merce’s birthday or if she was also celebrating on the same day as the crash.
Meanwhile, disturbing new footage may shed light on what caused the crash. In the video, one of the helicopter’s rotor blades appears to fall into the river, suggesting that the main rotor may have detached and struck the aircraft’s tail.
Former military aviator and attorney Jim Brauchle told DailyMail.com, “From the footage, it appears that the main rotor struck the body of the helicopter, cutting off the tail of the helicopter, which created an unrecoverable event.”
He added, “The two main causes of this phenomenon are mechanical failure or excessive maneuvering. Still, a full investigation is needed to understand why this tragedy occurred. Having previously represented the families of tourists killed during a helicopter tour over the Hudson River, my heart goes out to the families at this catastrophic time.”
Another aviation specialist explained to Fox 5 that if the rotor blades sliced off the helicopter’s tail boom, recovery would be impossible.
“If that articulating head actually separated from the aircraft, the aircraft was doomed. There’s no possibility of that aircraft ever having made a normal type of landing. It was going to crash,” Tristani explained.
“In this particular case though, when you throw a blade, one blade or the entire head, no, you’re just a falling brick.”
Michael Roth, 71, the owner of New York Helicopter—the company that operated the flight—said the pilot had radioed in to report low fuel 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 he was heartbroken and agreed with other experts that the video indicates the rotor blades detached.
“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” he told the New York Post.
“And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. 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.”
Justin Green, an aviation attorney and former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, said a “catastrophic mechanical failure” gave the pilot no chance of recovery.
He explained that if the main rotors had hit and severed the tail boom, it could have caused the cabin to drop uncontrollably.
“They were dead as soon as whatever happened happened,” 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.”
It was also revealed that the helicopter’s 36-year-old pilot, who has not yet been publicly identified, radioed about low fuel just before the crash. He also died in the accident.
Heart-wrenching images showed the family of five posing happily on the helipad and inside the helicopter shortly before takeoff.
The aircraft was operated by New York Helicopter and identified as a Bell 206L-4, tail number N216MH, based on data from Flight Radar.
The flight lasted approximately 16 minutes. It departed from the Wall Street Heliport, circled near the Statue of Liberty, then continued north along the Hudson River toward the George Washington Bridge at an altitude of about 1,000 feet.
Dramatic footage captured the helicopter sinking into the water as emergency teams rushed to the scene.
Witnesses described seeing the helicopter “split in half” before it hit the river near Pier 40. One bystander said it sounded like a “sonic boom.”
“Oh my god. Oh my gosh. Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh,” exclaimed a horrified witness watching the incident unfold.
Bruce Wall, standing near the Jersey City shoreline, reported seeing the aircraft “falling apart” midair, with its tail and rotor detaching. The rotor, still spinning, plummeted separately from the helicopter.
Dani Horbiak, who was at her home in Jersey City, said she heard what sounded like “several gunshots in a row, almost, in the air.” Looking out her window, she saw the helicopter crash into the river in multiple pieces.
