The Spanish family killed in a horror helicopter crash in New York have been identified.
Agustin Escobar, his wife and three children perished after the chopper fell out of the sky over the River Hudson at around 3.15pm local time on Thursday.
Photos shared by New York Helicopters Tours LCC show the loving family embracing on the helipad before boarding the doomed aircraft.
Another shows them inside the Bell 206 chopper with their thumbs up, in what is believed to be their last ever photo.
Escobar was the CEO of Siemens Spain, according to his LinkedIn profile, and the head of Siemens Mobility Southwest Europe.
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He had a degree in industrial engineering from Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid and had more than 25 years of international experience.
The family had arrived from Barcelona Thursday morning and headed straight to the helicopter pad for an aerial tour of New York.
But just minutes after takeoff, the aircraft was seen spiralling out of control and plummeting out of the sky and crashing into the Hudson River. The entire family and pilot died.
Following the tragedy, CEO of New York Helicopters, Michael Roth, said: ‘I’m absolutely devastated. The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter.
‘And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business.’
Footage shared on X showed the aircraft spinning uncontrollably before hitting the water, after witnesses said they saw the aircraft ‘split in half’.
The chopper crashed near Pier 40 and caused a loud bang when it collided with the water’s surface.
An investigation into the cause of the crash continues.
US President Donald Trump offered condolences to the victims’ loved ones in a post on Truth Social, vowing to get to the bottom of what caused the crash.
