A new detail adds even more weight to the tragedy that occurred in New York, involving the five-member family of Agustin Escobar, the Executive Director of Siemens Spain. They were lost in the helicopter crash they were traveling in, according to Spanish media reports.
As reported by El Diario, Escobar, his wife, and their three children, aged 4, 5, and 11, had traveled to New York to celebrate one of the children’s birthdays.
The Escobar family had arrived from Barcelona in New York just hours before the tragic flight, opting for one of the aerial tours chosen by tourists visiting the American metropolis, around the Statue of Liberty and up to the George Washington Bridge.
New Theory on the Cause of the Accident
Meanwhile, experts are working to analyze the causes of the accident by examining footage recorded by eyewitnesses.
In the footage, the tail rotor of the helicopter appears to be severed.
“The footage shows the rotor hitting the main body of the helicopter, severing the tail with this tragic result,” said former military pilot Jim Brussell to Daily Mail. According to him, this could have been caused either by a mechanical failure or by human error.
Similarly, an expert speaking to Fox 5 stated: “If the rotor head detached from the helicopter, the aircraft would inevitably have crashed. There is no way a helicopter can make a normal landing with such damage. The only thing that would happen is that it would crash.”
As reported by international media, the helicopter “fell like a stone” into the Hudson River, resulting in the deaths of not only the Escobar family but also the 36-year-old pilot.
“I heard a loud crash.” “I looked up and saw a helicopter falling and crashing into the water.” “I didn’t see anyone swimming,” said an eyewitness to The New York Times.
“I saw it fall from the sky.” “I heard five or six loud sounds that sounded like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces of the helicopter break off and then fall into the river,” described Danny Horbiak, who witnessed the crash from his house window.
Although no official statement has been made yet about the cause of the accident, videos of the moment the helicopter crashed show that the tail rotor had detached.
