New details of the horrific accident in New York: ‘The helicopter was already falling apart in the air, so it was rusty …’
Witnesses of the deadly helicopter accident in the Hudson River in New York have told them that they saw the aircraft falling apart in the air before diveding in the river with a « loud blow » nose. On Friday, Sean Johnson, a 36-year-old former member of the US Navy Specialists (Navy Seal), was identified as a helicopter pilot, who moved to New York after a military service to start his career in Air Force, The Independent writes.
The accident killed all six people who were in a helicopter, including Spanish five -member family and pilot. Among the dead were the CEO of Siemens Agustin Escobar and his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal – also employed in Siemens and close relatives of people associated with the FC Barcelona Football Club – as well as their three minor children.
The cause of the accident is still unknown, but witnesses claim that they saw the helicopter fell apart in the air before it fell into the river. Experts believe it is a rare mechanical failure. Bruce Wall, 28, stated that he saw the helicopter « began to break up about 4-5 meters before it fell, then separated the tail and heard the sound of something that breaks in the air, » said the New York Times.
« The helicopter was still quite loud, and then he heard only a very, very loud blow to the water, » he added.
One woman who wanted to remain anonymous told the BBC Radio 4 that « the helicopter was slightly tilted down and was constantly spinning in the air. »
President Donald Trump expressed his condolences and the National Transport Safety Administration (NTSB) launched an investigation. NTSB president, Jennifer Homendy, said on Friday that the Agency « still has no preliminary cause » to explain the fall of a helicopter.
A team of 17 investigators was awarded the task of establishing why exactly the helicopter fell apart in the air before it fell into the Hudson River.
« We will never speculate on the cause – never – nor will we determine the preliminary or likely causes at the scene, » Homendy said. She confirmed that divers continue to pull out parts of the aircraft from the Hudson River.
« We are looking for the main rotor and Repno Rotor, » she said at a press conference on Friday.
