A family of five Spanish tourists, including three children, and a pilot were killed after their sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday.
Videos on social media showed parts of the chopper – a Bell 206 – tumbling through the air into the water near the shoreline of Jersey City, New Jersey.
JUST IN: 6 people are confirmed to be deceased in the Hudson River helicopter crash, according to the Associated Press.
The chopper’s propeller was seen detached from the helicopter, spinning into the water.
According to a witness who spoke with NBC, the chopper blade just… pic.twitter.com/EMpWMJC9el
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 10, 2025
JUST IN: 6 people are confirmed to be deceased in the Hudson River helicopter crash, according to the Associated Press.
The chopper’s propeller was seen detached from the helicopter, spinning into the water.
According to a witness who spoke with NBC, the chopper blade just… pic.twitter.com/EMpWMJC9el
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 10, 2025
The helicopter took off around 3 pm from downtown Skyport and flew south before heading up the Manhattan shoreline to the George Washington Bridge, New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
It then turned back towards the downtown Manhattan heliport, lost control and hit the water near a Hoboken pier, Ms Tisch said.
“NYPD divers pulled four people from the crash site, and FDNY divers recovered an additional two. Immediate lifesaving measures were undertaken on the vessels at the scene, as well as the adjoining pier,” she said.
“Four victims were pronounced dead on scene, and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where, sadly, both succumbed to their injuries,” the police chief added.
Witnesses On New York Helicopter Crash
A hostess at a restaurant along the river in Hoboken, New Jersey, told the news agency AP that the helicopter was spinning uncontrollably with “a bunch of smoke coming out” before it slammed into the water.
The wreckage of a helicopter is removed from the water after crashing into the Hudson River
Photo Credit: AFP
Another witness said it appeared like the helicopter’s rotor blade “shattered in the sky.”
“And after it shattered, then we saw the helicopter just spiral… And then it just crashed into the water just like that,” the witness told the news agency AFP.
Justin Green, an aviation lawyer who was a helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps, told AP that the video of the crash suggested that a “catastrophic mechanical failure” left the pilot with no chance to save the aircraft.
It is possible the helicopter’s main rotors struck the tail boom, breaking it apart and causing the cabin to free fall, Mr Green said.
“There’s no indication they had any control over the craft. No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lifts. It’s like a rock falling to the ground. It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
Donald Trump Calls Chopper Crash Footage “Horrendous”
US President Donald Trump called the crash “terrible.”
“Terrible helicopter crash in the Hudson River. Looks like six people, the pilot, two adults, and three children, are no longer with us. The footage of the accident is horrendous. God bless the families and friends of the victims. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly,” he wrote on Truth Social.
New York Mayor Eric Adams called it a “heartbreaking and tragic crash” and said all six victims had been removed from the water.
At least 38 people have died in helicopter accidents in New York City since 1977.