A tech boss and his family have been named among the victims of a deadly helicopter crash in New York.
The helicopter suddenly broke apart in midair yesterday afternoon and crashed upside down into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and high-ranking Siemens executive Agustín Escobar, along with his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, who was a global manager at an energy technology company, and their three children. Tragic photos posted on the helicopter company’s website showed the couple and their children smiling as they boarded the helicopter just before it took off. Here’s what you need to know about Agustín Escobar and the fatal crash:
Augstin Escobar worked for the tech company Siemens for more than 27 years. He most recently served as global CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, according to his LinkedIn account.
In late 2022, he briefly became president and CEO of Siemens Spain. In a post about the position, he thanked his family and described them as “my endless source of energy and happiness.”
Escobar regularly posted about the importance of sustainability in the rail industry and often travelled internationally for work, having visited both Britain and India in the past month. He also was vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain, after being handed the title in 2023.
His children were aged aged four, five, and 11 years old.
Escobar’s wife, Camprubi Montal, worked in Barcelona, Spain, for Siemens Energy for about seven years as its global commercialisation manager.
The sightseeing flight departed a heliport around 3pm on Thursday, and came crashing down in less than 18 minutes later. Radar data showed it flew north along the Manhattan skyline and then back south towards the Statue of Liberty.
Video of the crash showed parts of the aircraft tumbling through the air into the water near the shoreline of New Jersey.
One witness said he saw it “falling apart” in midair, with the tail and main rotor coming off. The main rotor was still spinning without the helicopter as it fell.
Experts analysing video of the crash have suggested that a “catastrophic mechanical failure” left the pilot with no chance to save the helicopter.
It is feared the helicopter’s main rotors may have struck the tail boom, breaking it apart and causing the cabin to free fall.
Speaking to reporters in front of the Hudson River yesterday, New York Mayor Eric Adams said: “Here you have visitors who were here just to see a picturesque and a legendary skyline. And unfortunately we lost five family members and a pilot to an incident.
“Our heart goes out to the family members.”
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