The remains of several geese were found on the wreckage of a sightseeing helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on April 10, 2025, killing six people, including a vacationing family from Spain, investigators announced Thursday.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited evidence and witness reports suggesting the helicopter struck multiple birds before it plummeted into the river. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has previously stated that helicopters are particularly susceptible to bird strikes due to their low-altitude flight paths. While uncommon, such incidents can have severe consequences.
The victims were identified as pilot Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who had obtained his commercial pilot’s license in 2023, and passengers Agustin Escobar, 49; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their children, Victor, 4; Mercedes, 8; and Agustin, 10.
Witnesses at the time described seeing the helicopter's tail and main rotor separate from the aircraft, with smoke emanating from the spinning chopper before it hit the water. The helicopter had departed from a downtown heliport and was en route south along the Manhattan skyline toward the Statue of Liberty when the crash occurred less than 18 minutes into the flight.
Rescue boats reached the submerged aircraft within minutes, recovering the victims' bodies. Subsequent recovery crews brought the damaged Bell 206L-4 helicopter to the surface for examination by investigators.
The crash led to safety concerns regarding popular sightseeing flights. New Jersey’s governor subsequently requested additional restrictions on nonessential helicopter operations. This incident echoed the "miracle on the Hudson" in 2009, when a U.S. Airways jet struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff, leading pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to successfully land the aircraft in the Hudson River, saving all 155 people aboard.
Following the April 2025 crash, New York Helicopter Tours ceased operations. The FAA issued an emergency order grounding all of the company's flights after learning that its director of operations had agreed to suspend flights during the investigation, only to be fired minutes later. The FAA suspected the firing was an act of retaliation for a safety decision. The director of operations, Jason Costello, had voluntarily agreed to halt flights while the investigation proceeded. However, within 16 minutes of Costello's email to the FAA, the company's chief executive officer sent a separate communication stating the halt was unauthorized and that Costello was no longer employed.