Tragic helicopter accident in Manhattan: Family of five loses everything

Tragic helicopter accident in Manhattan: Family of five loses everything

Manhattan, USA - On April 11, 2025, a tragic helicopter disaster over Manhattan occurred, in which a family of five from Spain was affected. The flight to celebrate a child's birthday ended in a terrible tragedy. The family consisted of Agustín Escobar (48), a global manager at Siemens, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal (manager at Siemens Energy) and her three children aged 4, 5 and 11 years.

The helicopter picked up from down-heliport at 3:00 p.m. Shortly after the start, the pilot reported that he needed fuel and wanted to return to the base. However, the helicopter had not yet returned 20 minutes after departure. A second pilot finally discovered the misfortune when the helicopter was found upside down in the Hudson River. Eyewitnesses reported a loud bang before the Bell 206 longranger IV broke apart and fell into the water.

The terrible consequences

In the crash, four people immediately lost their lives, while the three children in the hospital suffer their serious injuries. The US flight accident authority NTSB has initiated investigations into the cause of the crash. Possible causes include the failure of the rotor blades, bird strikes, gear problems or excessive control of the pilot.

The helicopter's operator, New York Helicopter, has already been involved in several serious incidents that also affected Bell 206 machines. In an incident from 2013, a machine was able to do not land despite difficult circumstances with extended swimming bodies. Another incident occurred in Chile in 2010, where the machine had to put a hard landing due to defective spare parts. In 2015, another model turned uncontrollably in New Jersey and had to be an emergency.

The company boss of New York Helicopter, Michael Roth, was concerned about the current accident and emphasized that he could not explain the incident. The confidence in the security standards of helicopters, especially in a strongly frequented airspace like over Manhattan, could now be tested.

The context of the security situation in aviation

In the further context of the aviation, the current security report of the IATA for 2024 shows that the number of flight accidents has increased compared to the previous year, although aviation is still one of the safest means of transport. In 2024, over 5 billion passengers were promoted to more than 40 million flights worldwide, and the accident rate was 1.13 accidents per million flights.

Despite the increase in incidents, the accident rate remains historically low. IATA emphasizes that individual events, such as the tragic helicopter crash in Manhattan, should not lead to incorrect conclusions. The report also emphasizes the need to continuously improve existing security standards, especially in view of GPS interferences that increased by 175 % in 2024 In summary, it can be said that the helicopter accident via Manhattan, who tragically transferred a family from Spain, must be classified in a wider context of security challenges within the aviation. The ongoing investigations by the NTSB will provide further insights into the exact circumstances of the accident.

For detailed reports on the test results and other developments, reference can be made to the NTSB database ntsb . Further information on the security situation in aviation can be found in the current IATA security report ata .

disturbing insights into the helicopter tragedy also offers an article on Exxpress .