According to law enforcement sources, the head of Siemens' Spanish branch and his family have been confirmed as among the five victims in the helicopter crash that plunged into the Hudson River on Thursday. Agustin Escobar, the president and CEO of Siemens' Spanish region, his wife, and their three children tragically lost their lives in this devastating crash. The sightseeing helicopter plunged into the river, resulting in a tragedy. Heartbreaking photos were posted on the website of the New York helicopter sightseeing company, showing the family of five wrapped in thick clothes standing in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter and smiling for a group photo, as well as the scene of them fastening their seat belts and sitting in the cabin.
At 3:17 p.m. local time on April 10th, a loud bang was heard over the Hudson River in Manhattan, New York. A sightseeing helicopter suddenly lost control in mid-air, its fuselage "split into two pieces", and then the propellers and tail rotor separated, crashing into the icy river. This disaster instantly claimed the lives of six people, including three children and three adults. The only survivor was the ripples on the river surface. Witness Bruce Voll recalled that the helicopter was spinning at an extremely fast speed, with thick smoke emerging from the fuselage, "falling like shredded paper". Nearby restaurant waitress Leslie Camacho said that before the plane plunged into the river, it made a "huge roar", and the water surface was hit by a deep pit, causing chaos among the surrounding boats and people on the shore. The New York Fire Department arrived at the scene within 15 minutes, and dozens of emergency responders gathered near Pier 40, but no one was able to escape from the wreckage. This Bell 206 helicopter belonged to a local tourism company, carrying a family from Spain and the pilot. They had originally planned to experience 15 minutes of aerial sightseeing, but became the most tragic helicopter accident in New York in the past seven years. Mayor Adams confirmed at a press conference that the remains of all the victims had been recovered, and the search and rescue operation was shifted to an investigation of the accident. US President Trump posted on social media that the accident video was "creepy", and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had led a team to intervene and handle the matter. This is not the first time the Hudson River has swallowed tourists on sightseeing helicopters. In 2018, five tourists died when their helicopter crashed into the riverbed; in 2009, an Italian tourist helicopter collided with a private plane, killing nine people on the spot. Data shows that at least 32 people died in helicopter accidents in New York since 1977. Although the Federal Aviation Administration has strengthened supervision in recent years, tourist helicopters continue to shuttle between tall buildings and airways, and the "air adventure" that costs over $200 per hour has never stopped. Currently, the National Transportation Safety Board has initiated an investigation, initially suspecting mechanical failure or disintegration in the air as the main cause. The final flight trajectory of the crashed helicopter showed that it suddenly deviated from the regular route before crashing. Aviation experts pointed out that although the Bell 206 model is widely used, the dense air traffic and complex air currents in New York are always a potential threat to small aircraft. As the summer tourist season approaches, this tragedy once again thrust the safety of sightseeing helicopters into the spotlight.
