The owner of the tourist helicopter that plunged into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing six people, told The Post he’s “devastated” by the tragic mishap.
“It’s devastation,” New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth said. “I’m a father and a grandfather and to have children on there, I’m devastated. 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,” a visibly shaken Roth said. “And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess – I got no clue – is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know.”
The helicopter plummeted into the Hudson River on Thursday.Bruce Wall
Six people were confirmed dead after the crash, with the chopper visibly submerged in the water.X/theaxalam
“It’s devastation,” New York Helicopter Tours CEO Michael Roth said. “I’m a father and a grandfather and to have children on there, I’m devastated. I’m absolutely devastated.
FDNY officials said the Bell 206 Chopper slit in half and went down near Pier 40 on West Houston Street and West Street around 3:15 pm.
Sources said six people – two adults, three children and the pilot – were killed in the wreck, with the victims identified as tourists from Spain.REUTERS
Sources said six people – two adults, three children and the pilot – were killed in the wreck, with the victims identified as tourists from Spain.
The family was later identified as Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children, Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4.
The pilot was 36-year-old Navy SEAL veteran Sean Johnson, a Chicago native who recently moved to New York City, according to reports.
“This is horrific,” Roth said. “But you gotta remember something, these are machines and they break.”