The pilot flying the helicopter that crashed into New York’s Hudson River made a call before the horrific incident that could shed some light on exactly what happened.
The United States experienced yet another deadly aviation incident on Thursday afternoon, with a helicopter seen plummeting into said river. The pilot, who has not been identified, was pulled out of the water, as were parents Agustin Escobar and Merce Camprubi and their three children. There were no survivors.
The Spanish family was on a leisure trip, taking in the sights, when disaster struck. Their helicopter was seen bizarrely breaking in half before dropping into the Hudson.
According to 71-year-old Michael Roth, the owner of the helicopter in question, the pilot radioed the base to say that the group was returning to the helipad but never made it back.
NY helicopter tour CEO says pilot was flying back to base to refuel before crash in Hudson River that killed tech exec and family https://t.co/JnurJBYyox pic.twitter.com/BVqFckQ7uX
— New York Post (@nypost) April 11, 2025
Roth revealed that the pilot informed them that he needed fuel and it would have taken him just three minutes to do so, yet he didn’t show after 20 minutes, which is when things went haywire.
“He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,” he said.
The helicopter owner said he got a call from his manager and heliport notifying him of a downed aircraft before his phone “blew up.”
“Then one of my pilots flew over the Hudson and saw the helicopter upside down.”
Roth added:
“We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying. The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster.”
Owner Michael Roth Says He Has No Idea What Caused Fatal Helicopter Crash
Roth told the Wall Street Journal he had “no clue” what caused the crash.
“The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,” he remarked.
Roth, who has been operating for over 30 years, claimed he had never seen anything like this but added, “These are machines, and they break.”
