The tourist helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River last year, killing a family of five and the pilot, likely went down after striking a flock of birds, according to an NTSB report released Thursday.
The remains of several geese were discovered on the wreckage of the doomed chopper that broke into three pieces and plunged into the river on April 10, 2025, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
The National Transportation Safety Board described evidence and witness reports that suggest the helicopter struck several birds before it plummeted into the river on April 10, 2025. Bruce Wall
Evidence and witness reports suggested the New York Helicopter Tours chopper struck several birds before the wreck.
A severed bird wing and other ornithological remains were found near the helicopter’s wreckage and on a nearby building rooftop.
The family who died in the tragic crash was visiting from Spain. Joan Camprubí Montal
The remnants of the stricken birds — which included a great black-backed gull, brant geese, and canadian geese — were analyzed by the members of the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab, the report said.
Last year, a preliminary NTSB report described that witnesses heard “loud bangs” moments before the deadly crash — which took place a mere 17 minutes after it took flight.
The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot’s license in 2023. NY Post Design
Helicopters are especially vulnerable to bird strikes since they fly at lower altitudes.
The Bell 206 chopper took off from Manhattan’s Downtown Skyport with Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three young children — Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4 — on board.
Scene of a helicopter crash into the Hudson River near Pier 40 on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Obtained by the NY Post
The family, who hailed from Barcelona, Spain, were flown by Sean Johnson, 36, a Navy veteran who recently moved to the Big Apple for his aviation career.
Johnson, who had more than 790 hours of experience, had just come back from a 10-day break before the ill-fated trip, the NTSB said.
New York Helicopter has since shuttered its operations. The FAA also issued an emergency order to ground all the company’s flights after discovering it had fired its operations director minutes after he had agreed to suspend flights amid an investigation.
With Post wires