A Spanish tourist family of five was photographed smiling in front of a helicopter just moments before it took off on what would be its final flight.
A top executive at global technology company Siemens and his wife and kids were identified as five of the victims who were killed on the ill-fated helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River Thursday, according to law enforcement sources.
Agustin Escobar, the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, his wife, and their three children were killed along with an unidentified pilot when the tourist helicopter they were all on plunged into the murky waters.
Gut-wrenching photos on the New York Helicopter Tours website show the five family members bundled up and smiling in front of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter, which is strapped inside.
The aircraft, operated by a New York City-based helicopter company, tragically crashed into the Hudson River shortly after takeoff, killing all six passengers on board — including three young children.
Authorities confirmed that the chopper “split in half” upon impact with the water, leaving no survivors. Emergency responders recovered all bodies from the wreckage after a frantic search operation in the murky river waters.
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This latest incident adds to New York City’s grim and growing history of helicopter crashes, once again raising urgent questions about flight safety over the city. Notably, the same company involved in this tragedy previously experienced another emergency in the Hudson River, when one of its helicopters crash-landed in the same location. That earlier incident did not result in fatalities but had already sparked concerns about operational standards and oversight.
Eyewitnesses described a sudden engine sputter before the helicopter veered off course and slammed into the river. “One moment it was in the sky, the next it just dropped — like something out of a nightmare,” said a shocked bystander.
The heartbreaking final images — showing the family posing excitedly in front of the doomed aircraft — have now gone viral, symbolizing the fragility of life and the shocking swiftness with which joy turned to tragedy.
Federal aviation authorities have launched a full investigation into the crash, with particular focus on mechanical failure and the helicopter’s maintenance history. In light of repeated incidents, calls are growing louder for tighter regulations on sightseeing and charter helicopter flights over New York.
This devastating loss has shaken the local community and renewed national attention on aviation safety in densely populated urban areas.
