Haunting images of doomed New York helicopter wreckage after crash kills six people

The Bell 206L-4 - used by sightseeing tour firm New York Helicopter - broke apart midair and crashed, killing Agustin Escobar, who was the CEO of Siemens Spain, and his family

These eerie pictures capture the wreckage of the doomed helicopter which broke apart midair and crashed into the Hudson River.

Six people, including Siemens boss Agustin Escobar and his family, died when the sightseeing chopper plunged into the New York City water last month. An investigation is underway into the horror, as part of which a series of still photographs taken from surveillance camera video have been released.

The haunting images, included in the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), show the fuselage, containing the engine and rotors, separating from the helicopter's tail. The rotor blades and the transmission then detach from the cabin that’s carrying the passengers and the pilot.

The NTSB's report reads: "Several witnesses described hearing several loud ‘bangs’ emanating from the helicopter before it broke up and descended into the river." The document also said photos taken beforehand show the pilot, Seankese Johnson, was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which would have had video and audio recording capability. The glasses have not been recovered.

Justin Green, an aviation lawyer and former Marine helicopter pilot, said he understands the tail boom failed mid flight. This spar connects tail surfaces to a fuselage. The expert added: "It’s clear that some mechanical issue precipitated the breakup."

The initial report, which runs about six pages, does not address the initial cause of the breakup. That, Mr Green said, will likely be determined by a forensic examination of the wreckage itself, including the rotor blades, the engine and transmission.

"A tail strike could be caused by a pilot not handling a loss of power emergency and allowing the rotor rpm to decay, which makes the rotors flap up and down more and that can cause a strike," Mr Green said. The aircraft, a Bell 206L-4 built in 2004, also appeared to be fairly old and well used, according to the aviation lawyer.

At the time of the crash, the helicopter had operated about 50 hours since its last inspection on February 27, according to the NTSB report. The helicopter’s airframe accrued nearly 13,000 total hours of operation, and the engine accrued more than 23,000 hours.

Federal Aviation Administration records also show the aircraft had a maintenance issue last September involving its transmission assembly. Mr Green added: "The NTSB will be looking at the overhaul and maintenance records to make sure everything is up to date."

The NTSB said previously that the aircraft, operated by tour company New York Helicopter, was not equipped with any video or data recording devices. However, it has now emerged Mr Johnson, the 36-year-old pilot, was wearing the computer-augmented sunglasses. The former Navy SEAL received his commercial pilot’s license in 2023 and had logged 790 hours of flight time, the NTSB report said.

But he didn't appear to be particularly experienced flying a Bell 206L-4, observed Al Yurman, a retired NTSB investigator. The agency said in its report Mr Johnson had fewer than 50 hours of flight in that type of aircraft.

Mr Yurman continued: "It's quite sophisticated for that type of work. I would prefer to have someone more experienced, but we'll know more when the full report comes out."

The report said Mr Johnson worked a “10 days on/10 days off schedule” and the April 10 flight was his first day back after 10 days off. The flight was also the eighth that day for the pilot and the helicopter.

The aircraft was on a typical tour, departing from the downtown heliport by Wall Street around 3pm and flying north along the Manhattan skyline before heading south toward the Statue of Liberty.

Less than 18 minutes into the flight, witnesses saw the tail and main rotor break away and smoke pouring from the spinning helicopter. In recent years New York Helicopter, the tour company, went through bankruptcy and faced ongoing lawsuits over alleged debts.

The company has said it is cooperating with authorities in the investigation. No one answered the phone at its office or responded to an email seeking comment on Wednesday.

The crash was among a recent string of aircraft disasters and close calls that left some people worried about the safety of flying in the US It also revived concerns about the popular and costly aerial tours over New York City.

Five commercial sightseeing helicopters have gone down in the rivers around Manhattan since 2005 as a result of mechanical failure, pilot error or collision, killing 20 people.

The April 10 crash killed Mr Escobar's family from Barcelona; his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their children Victor, four, Mercedes, eight, and ten-year-old Agustin.

Officials have said Mr Escobar, global CEO of the rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, was in the New York area on business. Ms Montal, who worked for Siemens Energy and was the granddaughter of a former president of the famous Barcelona FC soccer club, flew in with their children to meet him.