The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said at a press conference at Jersey City Hall on Friday, but it wasn't.[ing] “Anything” in investigation into a fatal crash of a tour helicopter on the Hudson River on Thursday
The Bell 206 helicopter flying for the tour company New York helicopter descended on the Hudson River near Jersey City, New Jersey, around 3:17pm on Thursday.
Within minutes, the New York City Fire Station (FDNY) and NYPD divers entered the water and pulled family pilots and members of their families visiting from Spain, including Siemens executive Agustin Escobar. His wife, Merceè Camprubí Montal. And their three young children, from the water. All six were declared dead.
According to a statement from Mayor Stephen Flop, Escobar was on a business trip and ran out to extend his holiday to celebrate Montal's 40th birthday. All the children were under 11 years old.
File photos of victims of a helicopter crash in New York City on Thursday, April 10th, 2025. and his wife, Merche Kampulbi Montal, the global manager of an energy technology company. and three children. The pilot was also killed. (New York Helicopter Tour, LLC)
Six deaths, including three children, after the Hudson River helicopter plummet
The pilot's identity has not yet been announced by staff, but NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendi confirmed at a press conference that the agency has a pilot's logbook and that it holds a commercial pilot certificate in its rotorcraft and instrument evaluations.
“The pilot reported 450 hours of total flight experience with the latest medical care issued on September 20, 2024,” Homedy said. “As of March 29, 2025, the pilot had accumulated a total flight time of approximately 788 hours.”
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy will speak at a press conference at Jersey City Hall on Friday after a fatal helicopter crashed on the Hudson River between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront on Thursday. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
According to Homedy, the NTSB is still calculating the pilot's flight time on the bell helicopter, as the pilot previously flew a Robinson 44.
NYPD divers are still looking for aircraft fragments, including main rotors, tail rotors, main transmissions, roof structures, tail structures, and more.
However, Homedy said the witness reports are already supporting investigators in the agency's preliminary investigation.
The map shows the approximate location where a helicopter hit the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon. All six people on the helicopter were killed in the tragedy. (Fox News)
The Hudson River helicopter crash pilot called about requiring fuel before a fatal accident, the CEO says
Homedy said the NTSB “recognizes the report” of “big flocks of birds” just before the crash.
“We discussed it this morning,” she said. “That's what we'll investigate.”
The NTSB is urging its public to submit photos, videos and testimony. [them] As a pause “or gave them” different.
As far as timelines go, NTSB said it is still addressing details of what it may have been wrong.
The FAA confirmed that the helicopter took off from the downtown Manhattan heliport at 2:59pm and flew south before flying north along the Manhattan coastline.
Crane container lifts the remains of a helicopter that hit the Hudson River on Thursday in Jersey City, New Jersey (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
According to the FAA, the helicopter arrived at the George Washington Bridge at 3:08pm and flew south along the New Jersey coastline again.
Shortly afterwards, the pilot lost control of the aircraft and struck water just a few feet away from the coast near Hoboken.
A map showing the path of the unfortunate helicopter carrying five tourists and pilots killed when Chopper crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday. (Fox News)
Michael Ross, CEO of New York Helicopter Tour, whose company operates helicopters; I told the telegraph The pilot repeated the radio regarding the need for fuel, but never arrived.
It is unknown when the fuel call occurred.
Police and firefighters are working at the location of a helicopter crashing into the Hudson River near lower Manhattan on Thursday. All six passengers were killed in the crash, according to New York Mayor Eric Adams. (via Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Getty Images)
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement Thursday that the tour helicopters are located in a special flight regulations area established in New York.
However, Duffy confirmed, according to the statement, “Air traffic control from Laguardia Airport was providing assistance just minutes before entering the special flight regulations area.”
When asked about the safety of the air tour, Homedy said the NTSB issued “all report on Part 91 operations on revenue passengers.”
A timeline showing the events of the unfortunate helicopter that carried five tourists and pilots when Chopper crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, April 10th, 2025. (Fox News)
“We strongly believe in one level of safety and while it may not look like the regulations of major commercial airlines, we believe they should be regulated,” she said. “We have issued recommendations for crash resistant recorders in the past. We have issued numerous regular recommendations for safety management systems for specific regulations in Part 91.”
This question was asked after Rep. Nicole Malliotakes (RN.Y.), and many other officials expressed concern about the tour helicopter.
“Residents of Staten Island are deeply concerned about the frequent low-flight tour helicopters whose flight routes continue to travel frequently through the neighborhood all day,” Mario Takis wrote in a statement. “To prevent another tragedy, these tourist helicopter flights through NYC must be more strictly regulated and restricted unless they are completely finished.”
On Thursday, April 10th, 2025, one of the young victims of a helicopter crash in New York City. (New York Helicopter Tour, LLC)
Homedy added that it was “too early” to speculate on what the NTSB recommends as a result of the investigation, but “this is a concern that we've gathered for years.”
“It certainly came up with this after Freenion crashed in certain reports. …It was very comprehensive about recommendations, especially for air tour operators,” she said.
The pilot warned about safety concerns before the helicopter crashed in New York's East River, killing five people, according to the report.
On March 11, 2018, a helicopter run by Frinnyon, another New York helicopter surveillance company, collided with the East River, causing all five passengers to crash into the ship.
The passengers were allegedly “didn't release themselves from the harness they were wearing,” leading to a $90 million litigation settlement, Fox News previously reported.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Pilot Richard Vance was the only survivor, using standard seat belts.
The FAA and NTSB continue to investigate the Hudson River helicopter collision.
Mayor Flop confirmed in the X post that the brother-in-law of the family who died in the wreck had flew to the country Friday morning.
“We work together [the medical examiner] Quickly [the] The family was released to return to Spain,” Flop wrote in the post.
Julia Bonavita and the Associated Press of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
