NTSB Reports Goose Remains on Wreckage of 2025 Hudson River Helicopter Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board reported Thursday that 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. The board described evidence and witness reports suggesting the helicopter struck several birds before it plummeted into the river.

The victims were Agustin Escobar, 49, a Siemens business executive from Spain; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39; and their three children, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10.

The pilot was Seankese Johnson, 36, a U.S. Navy veteran who received his commercial pilot’s license in 2023. The helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 operated by New York Helicopter Tours, took off from a downtown heliport, flew north along the Manhattan skyline, then headed south toward the Statue of Liberty.

Less than 18 minutes into the flight, parts of the aircraft were seen tumbling into the water. Witnesses described seeing the helicopter’s tail and main rotor breaking away and smoke pouring from the spinning chopper before it slammed into the water. Rescue boats circled the submerged aircraft within minutes of impact and recovered the bodies from the water.

Later recovery crews hoisted the mangled helicopter out of the river for investigators to examine. The Federal Aviation Administration has stated that helicopters are especially vulnerable to bird strikes because they fly at low altitudes. The crash prompted New Jersey’s governor to ask for additional restrictions on nonessential helicopter flights.

New York Helicopter Tours shut down after the crash. The FAA issued an emergency order to ground all the company’s flights after learning it had fired its operations director minutes after he agreed to suspend flights during the investigation. Jason Costello, the company’s director of operations, agreed to voluntarily halt flights while the crash was being investigated.

Sixteen minutes after he sent an email to the FAA agreeing to the halt, the company’s chief executive officer sent a separate email stating he did not authorize the halt and that Costello was no longer an employee, according to ABC News.