Hudson River crash: Helicopter was running out of fuel, was going to land in 3 minutes
Siemens exec Agustin Escobar and his family died in the helicopter crash in the Hudson River on Thursday
The CEO of the tour company that operated the helicopter involved in Thursday's Hudson River crash in New York City stated that the pilot was experiencing a critical fuel shortage before the incident. Michael Roth told the New York Post that he was ‘absolutely devasted’. New York Helicopter Charter was the company operating the flight.
All six people in the helicopter died, including the pilot. Agustin Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the tech company Siemens, and his family were in NYC for a vacation. The tour company had posted photos of the executive, his wife, and three children on social media.
Read More: Hudson River helicopter crash: First video from scene surfaces, NYC officials on scene | Watch
Reacting to the crash, Roth told The Post: “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."
Law enforcement sources told the publication that the family were visiting from Barcelona and had landed in NYC on Thursday. The chopper crashed at around 3:15 PM local time, officials confirmed.
Pilot flagged fuel issues
Roth told the Post that the pilot had flagged fuel issues. “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,” he said, speaking about the probable cause of the crash.
He further told the Telegraph that 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’.
Eric Adams issues statement
Meanwhile, New York Mayor Eric Adams paid tribute to the families of those who were onboard. “All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims were pronounced dead,” the Democrat said in a press conference.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said the Jersey City Police Department is taking the lead in the investigation. NTSB will take over later.
