Investigators looking into reports flock of birds spotted near New York helicopter crash site
Investigators say they are looking into reports a large flock of birds was seen before a deadly helicopter crash in New York City.
The helicopter’s pilot and a family of five Spanish tourists, including three children, were killed in the crash in the Hudson river at around 3.17pm on Thursday.
Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive, and his wife Camprubi Montal had booked the helicopter tour to celebrate their eight-year-old child’s birthday.
A senior New York City official named the pilot as Sean Johnson to NBC New York. He was 36, according to the Jersey City Mayor’s office.
Giving an update on the investigation into the crash, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said no initial cause had been determined.
Asked about reports a large flock of birds was seen in the area shortly before the crash, she said: “We are aware of those reports, we discussed it this morning.
“It’s something we are looking into. What I would say to the public is that if something struck you as different or made you pause, or it crossed your mind that you might want to share with our investigators, there is no downside in sharing that information with us.”
The helicopter was submerged upside down in the Hudson. Pic: Reuters
A crane lifted out the wreckage on Thursday evening. Pic: AP
Ms Homendy said divers are still recovering parts of the helicopter from the Hudson – and revealed the pilot had logged more than 780 hours of flight time.
Earlier, New York Police commissioner Jessica Tisch said divers had recovered all those on board from the helicopter, which was upside down in the water.
“Four victims were pronounced dead on scene and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries,” she said.
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the news “devastating”.
“An unimaginable tragedy. I share the grief of the victims’ loved ones at this heartbreaking time,” he wrote on X.
Rotor blade ‘flew off’
The aircraft was on a tourist flight of Manhattan, run by the New York Helicopters company.
Witnesses described seeing the main rotor blade flying off moments before it dropped out of the sky.
Agustin Escobar and Merce Camprubi Montal.
Pic: Facebook
Lesly Camacho, a worker at a restaurant along the river in Hoboken, said she saw the helicopter spinning uncontrollably before it slammed into the water.
“There was a bunch of smoke coming out. It was spinning pretty fast, and it landed in the water really hard,” she said.
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Witness saw ‘parts flying off’ helicopter
Another witness said “the chopper blade flew off”.
“I don’t know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped,” Avi Rakesh told Sky’s US partner, NBC News.
Video on social media showed parts of the Bell 206 helicopter tumbling through the air and landing in the river.
Mafalda Carvalho, from Brazil, told Sky News she took the “exact same helicopter tour” during a trip to New York just three weeks ago.
Seeing news of the crash, she said she felt “really emotional and reflective because the truth is we never know when it may be our turn… I saw the news that a whole family had lost their lives, it really made me stop and think”.
She added: “Helicopters in general aren’t the safest means of transport, right? There is always some level of risk. I enjoy, but it’s very dangerous. We never know when something might go wrong.”
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New York mayor confirms six dead
The crash happened near Pier 40. Pic: AP
The crash happened close to Pier 40 and the Holland tunnel, which links lower Manhattan’s Tribeca neighbourhood with Jersey City to its west.
Tracking service Flight Radar 24 published what it said was the helicopter’s route, with the aircraft appearing to be in the sky for 15 minutes before the crash.
Agustin Escobar.
Pic: Europa Press/AP
Thursday’s incident comes less than three months after 67 people died when an army helicopter and American Airlines jet collided over the Potomac River in Washington DC.
A former top college football player has died along with members of her family in a private plane crash in New York state.
The twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B went down shortly after noon on Saturday in a muddy field in Copake, near the Massachusetts border, killing all six people on board.
Among the victims were Karenna Groff, a former MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) football player, who was named the 2022 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) woman of the year.
Her neuroscientist father, Dr Michael Groff, her mother, Dr Joy Saini, a urogynecologist, and her brother, Jared Groff, who worked as a paralegal, were also killed.
Former college football player Karenna Groff. File pic: AP
Karenna Groff’s boyfriend, James Santoro, and Jared Groff’s partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, also died.
Mr Santoro’s father, John Santoro, said: “The 25 years we had with James were the best years of our lives… and the joy and love he brought us will be enough to last a lifetime.”
He described Karenna Groff and her relatives as “a wonderful family”.
“The world lost a lot of very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world if they had the opportunity. We’re all personally devastated,” he added.
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They boarded Michael Groff’s private plane at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, a suburb of New York City, on Saturday morning to fly to Columbia County Airport.
But the aircraft crashed around 10 miles to the south and was left “compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain”, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) official Todd Inman said.
Shortly before the plane came down, the pilot had radioed air traffic control at Columbia County Airport to say he had missed the initial approach and requested a new approach plan, he said.
Investigators obtained video of the final seconds of the flight, which “appears to show that the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground,” he added.
A full accident report could take between 12 and 24 months to complete.
It comes days after a family of five Spanish tourists, including three children, were killed in a helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to flee in the middle of the night during Passover after an alleged arsonist set fire to their residence, authorities said.
Mr Shapiro, a Democrat seen as a potential candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028, said he and his family woke up at about 2am on Sunday to “bangs on the door” by police after a fire was allegedly set at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg.
Mr Shapiro said he, his wife, their four children, two dogs and another family were evacuated as the fire service tackled the flames.
Pic: Commonwealth Media Services
Pic: Commonwealth Media Services
“Thank God no one was injured,” he said in a post on X.
A 38-year-old man identified as Cody Balmer, from Harrisburg, was arrested later in the day.
Pic: Commonwealth Media Services
Pic: Commonwealth Media Services
He will face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities said.
“Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities,” Mr Shapiro said on X.
“Last night, they did so for our family – and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe.”
Pic: Commonwealth Media Services
Charred wood and brick are visible at the Pennsylvania governor’s official residence. Pic: AP
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro. Pic: Reuters
The suspect’s motive is still unknown.
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According to Pennsylvania police officials, he slipped over a fence around the property carrying homemade incendiary devices and evaded state troopers long enough to enter the residence, set it on fire and leave.
On Saturday, Mr Shapiro posted a picture of his family’s “seder” table as they celebrated the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover.
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