Agustín Escobar and his family smiled for their last photos together, just moments before a helicopter they were on tragically crashed into New York’s Hudson River. The family-of-five, alongside the aircraft’s pilot, died after the chopper crashed at around 3.15pm on April 10, with witnesses claiming the propeller “broke off mid-air,” sending the doomed helicopter plummeting to the ground.
The family were enjoying a trip together and had arrived in New York from Barcelona earlier that same day, shortly before embarking on their helicopter sightseeing trip. Chilling images which show the family-of-five just moments before the terrifying incident unfolded have emerged, as heartbreaking details about the group’s final moments come to light.
In the photos, Agustín can be seen grinning for the camera alongside his wife and their three children, aged four, five and 11, while standing on the helipad before their sightseeing tour. Another photo shows them all smiling inside the aircraft, which would later horrifically plunge into the Hudson River. The haunting pictures are thought to be the last photographs the family took together.
According to reports, the family had booked the flight to celebrate the birthday of one of the three young children who died. Catalan radio station RAC1 reported: :They had hired a helicopter ride to the Statue of Liberty because it was one of the children’s birthdays.” It did not say which of the youngsters was celebrating their birthday.
Agustín was President of Siemens Spain and earned a degree in industrial engineering from Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid. During his career, he had more than 25 years of international experience in the energy and transportation sectors, leading teams across the United States, Latin America, and Spain. Meanwhile his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, was related to former Barcelona FC president Agustí Montal. He headed the club from 1969 to 1977, though died in 2017 at the age of 82.
The family’s helicopter tour was approximately 16 minutes into its flight when tragedy struck. The aircraft took off from the Wall Street Heliport and made a circle near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River when the incident unfolded.
Following the crash, CEO of New York Helicopters, Michael Roth, recalled what may have been one of the last radio calls made by the pilot. “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,” he told The Telegraph.
The exact cause of the crash remains unclear and investigators say it is too early to say what may have been behind it. Witnesses have claimed seeing the propeller “broke off mid-air” and seeing the helicopter hurtle to the ground at some speed. A witness who filmed the chopper in the immediate aftermath of the collision said on X: “Helicopter crashed in Hudson! The chopper broke off midair and dropped!!”
The helicopter also made a terrifyingly loud sound before it plunged into the river, according to witnesses. Another person wrote on X: “I just witnessed a helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Made a real loud thumping sound. Looked up and the propeller broke off and it crashed in the river. I couldn’t see it in the water.”
Analysis of footage released so far suggests that “catatrophic mechanical failure” left the helicopter pilot with no hope of saving the aircraft, experts have claimed. Aviation lawyer Justin Green said it was possible the helicopter’s main rotors may have struck against the tail boom, breaking it apart and causing the cabin to free-fall.
“They were dead as soon as whatever happened, happened. 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,” he said.
In the wake of the tragedy, mayor Eric Adams confirmed earlier that all six people on board the helicopter had been pulled from the water and pronounced dead. “Our hearts go out to the family – all six who were on board the helicopter,” he said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. “At this time, all six victims have been removed from the water and all six victims have been pronounced deceased.”
CEO of New York Helicopters, Michael Roth, said : “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.”
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
