Chopped was missing one key piece of equipment when it crashed, killing six, as shocking pictures emerge

A helicopter carrying a family of five was missing a key piece of equipment, officials say, as fresh photos emerge. Warning: Graphic

A helicopter that crashed in the Hudson River killing six Thursday was on its eighth flight of the day and lacked a flight recorder, according to officials.

The Bell 206 L-4 helicopter that crashed, tragically killing a family of five and a pilot, had completed seven tour flights on Thursday leading up to the fatal trip around the Hudson River, the National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday night.

Killed in the Thursday crash were Navy veteran Sean Johnson, Mercè Camprubí Montal and her husband Agustin Escobar, and their three children Augustin, 10, Mercedes, eight, and Victor, four.

Agustin Escobar, his wife and their three children posed in front of the helicopter before the tragic crash. Picture: New York Helicopter Tours LLC

NTSB team evaluating the wreckage from the Bell 206 L-4 helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River. Picture: National Transportation Safety Board

Officials have now stated that the chopper was not equipped with any flight recorders and no video or camera recorders have been recovered.

Further, none of the helicopter’s onboard audio recorded information has been recovered, the release stated.

Much of the decimated helicopter was recovered — including the cockpit and cabin, the forward portion of the tail boom, the horizontal stabilizer finlets, and the vertical fin, NTSB said in the release. The main rotor blades have not yet been found.

All pieces of wreckage from the tragic craft are being transported to NTSB laboratories in Washington DC as part of the investigation, which still has not determined a cause.

The agency revealed the last major inspection of the helicopter took place on Mar. 1.

Earlier, the brother of Hudson River helicopter crash victim Mercè Camprubí Montal paid a visit to the scene of the fatal accident Saturday, where he promised to “never forget” his family.

They had been in New York celebrating both Mercè’s 40th birthday and Mercedes’ 9th birthday, which would have been on Friday. The aircraft went down 25 minutes after takeoff from Manhattan’s Downtown Skyport.

Joan Camprubí Montal, the brother of mother killed on the helicopter crash, speaks during a press conference following the crash in the Hudson River in New York City. Picture: AFP

“We will never forget you,” said Joan Camprubí Montal in Spanish. “We will keep your smile alive every day of our lives, and I believe that’s the best legacy we can give you.”

Camprubí Montal, who flew into New York from Spain, briefly spoke to the media Saturday after first meeting with Mayor Eric Adams and laying a wreath on the Jersey City side of the scene, not far from where the sightseeing chopper carrying the family of five and their pilot plummeted into the chilly waters.

He also issued a statement on X on behalf of his family: “There are no words to describe what we are experiencing, nor to thank you for the warmth received.

Joan Camprubí Montal looks at a memorial wreath at the crash site in New York. Picture: AP

“These are very difficult times, but optimism and joy have always characterised our family.

“We want to preserve the memory of a happy and united family, in the sweetest moment of their lives.”

He also photo of the beaming family in Times Square.

Adams laid flowers for chopper pilot and Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, who was also killed.

“This is a really difficult situation but we are overwhelmed by the massive condolences we’ve received,” Camprubí Montal added. “I want to say they left together, they left without suffering, and they left with a smile on their faces, and that is important to us.”

A crane vessel lifts the wreckage of the helicopter from the Hudson River. Picture: AP

He said he’d like to bring the five bodies back to Spain as soon as possible, “to rest in peace together in our place.”

Adams called Thursday’s fatal helicopter crash an “unspeakable” tragedy.

“Our hearts are broken,” he said, adding that the flowers that had been laid on the Hudson “was a symbolic gesture for the loss of life”.

“[It is] our way of knowing and acknowledging our words can’t bring back their family members, but it is our way of saying, as New Yorkers, we stand united with this family during this moment of grief.

“Their grief is our grief. Their sorrow is our sorrow.”

Agustin Escobar and Mercè Camprubí Montal with their children Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Augustin, 10, in Times Square, New York. Picture: Joan Camprubí Montal

Camprubí Montal’s family, which made their fortune in textile manufacturing, is best known in her hometown by their reign over FC Barcelona — one of the world’s biggest and richest soccer clubs, La Vanguardia reported.

The chopper crashed near the shoreline of Jersey City, New Jersey, moments after the main and tail rotor detached from the body of the aircraft.

NYPD personnel recovered one of the helicopter’s doors during a search of the river Saturday. The craft’s rotor blades remain missing.

In its statement, the relatives of family added that they took solace in knowing their loved ones “passed away together.”

The family left an “indelible mark among all their relatives, friends and acquaintances,” the letter said.

Agraïts del vostre suport que ens manté forts. Els Escobar-Camprubí seran sempre entre nosaltres, amb la seva alegria i vitalitat. Us estimem família ♥️ DEP pic.twitter.com/SVkNOVdDtA

— Joan Camprubí Montal (@J_Campru) April 11, 2025

Sean Johnson is pictured with one of his passengers prior to the doomed flight. Picture: New York Helicopter Tours

The 36-year-old veteran pilot Sean Johnson had just a month earlier posted a chilling video of himself proudly flying in the same type of chopper over Lower Manhattan.

“When it all comes together…,” Sean Johnson posted along with the now-eerie Facebook footage, which showed him in a Bell 206 helicopter.

Mr Johnson had “always wanted to fly,” his wife, Kathryn Johnson, told Gothamist.

“ I’m just at loss for words,” she told the outlet. “I don’t even know what happened.”

Friends congratulated him in their comments, with one telling him he was “living the dream.”

Mr Johnson, who recently moved to New York City to continue his aviation career, was operating a Bell 206 on Thursday as part of a sightseeing tour for the Spanish family of five.

It’s unclear if the chopper he was flying in the Facebook footage was the same one that crashed this week.

Horrified onlookers described hearing a loud thumping noise before watching the Bell 206 helicopter split in half and crash upside down in the water on Thursday afternoon local time.

Tragic photos emerged of the family as they boarded the New York Helicopter Tours aircraft, smiling and giving the thumbs up moments before the ill-fated flight.

The family on board the helicopter before it tragically crashed into the Hudson River. Picture: New York Helicopter Tours LLC

The sightseeing tour took off from lower Manhattan and travelled along the river taking in views of the city and the State of Liberty and was returning to base when it crashed.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said emergency crews rushed to the scene shortly after 3pm local time (5am Friday AEST) after receiving multiple calls from witnesses.

He said crews were able to recover all six people from the freezing water but four of the victims had already died and two were rushed to hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.

“Our hearts go out to the families of those who were on board,” he said.

Debris floats in the water at the scene where the helicopter crashed into the Hudson River. Picture: AP

“It was going fast. It fell in seconds, like the motor lost power. It took seconds to fall from the sky,” one witness said.

“After the splash, the helicopter was above the water for a slight second but it submerged very quickly.”

MECHANICAL FAILURE AND PILOT ERROR TO BE INVESTIGATED

Investigators probing the crash will zero in on Mr Johnson’s piloting experience and whether possible mechanical failure was to blame for the ill-fated flight over New York City, sources told The Post.

As officials work to determine what caused the tragedy, the National Transportation Safety Board will examine whether the pilot was forced to make an “extreme manoeuvre” just moments before — or if there was error on their part, according to the sources.

“There’s pilot error where pilots fly into weather and they shouldn’t. Then there’s pilot error … where something happens, and (does the pilot) know how to handle it,” one source explained.

Hudson River Helicopter crash @fox5ny@ABC7@NBCNewYork@CBSNewYork@njdotcom@News12NJ@CNN@cnnbrk

Credit: Bruce Wall pic.twitter.com/CVy249wApx

— SangriaUltra (@xpertcommander) April 10, 2025

Mr Johnson could have also experienced a massive transmission failure in the lead-up to the wreck, according to another source.

“It’s possible something happened with that transmission and the pilot tried to fight it rather than go into autorotation and then transmission seizes … It’s possible,” the source said.

“Autorotation” means a helicopter’s engine has failed but the rotor is still spinning due to air rushing over it, and allows the pilot to glide the craft to a safe landing. It is a safety technique commonly taught to helicopter pilots.

The stricken helicopter plunges down. Picture: X

The initial source said officials will be looking at whether Mr Johnson was forced into an evasive manoeuvre.

“If there was a failure — such as a transmission failure — evasive manoeuvres are fine in flying … it’s when they’re violent, or unnatural, they can cause problems,” the source said.

“It’s when (there) are extreme (manoeuvres), or if a pilot is unnecessarily fighting the helicopter, the ends of rotor blades could strike off a tail boom. This is beyond rare.”

‘DEVASTATED’ HELICOPTER OWNER BREAKS SILENCE

New York Helicopter Tour CEO Michael Roth told reporters he was devastated by the tragedy.

“(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,” he said.

“I’m a father and a grandfather and to have children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated.

“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. 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.”

Emergency workers during the recovery effort. Picture: AFP

Governor Kathy Hochul said the cause of the crash was unknown and under investigation by the ATSB [Air Transport Stabilisation Board] and FBI.

“Six innocent souls have lost their lives and we pray for them and their families,” she said.

US President Donald Trump also expressed his condolences.

“The footage of the accident is horrendous,” Mr Trump said. “God bless the families and friends of the victims.

“Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly.”

As seen from Pier 40 in New York, police and fire crews respond to the scene where a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River. Picture: AP

Former military aviator and lawyer Jim Brauchle said it was too soon to draw conclusions as to the cause of the tragedy.

“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. As we have learned during that and other helicopter crash investigations, it is too soon to draw conclusions,” the Motley Rice lawyer said.

“However, 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.

“The two main causes of this phenomenon are mechanical failure or excessive manoeuvring. Still, a full investigation is needed to understand why this tragedy occurred.”

‘UNIMAGINABLE TRAGEDY’: SPAIN PM REACTS

Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez shared his “grief” over the deaths of the Spanish family.

“The news reaching us today of the helicopter crash in the Hudson River is devastating,” Mr Sánchez said in a post on X.

“Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, and the pilot have lost their lives. An unimaginable tragedy. I share in the grief of the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time.”

– with The New York Post.