Saturday, April 12

A total of six people were killed after a helicopter crash into the Hudson River over New York City, marking yet another aviation accident in 2025.

The helicopter took off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at around 2:59 pm, flying down the Hudson River on a sightseeing tour before taking a U-turn back around. 16 minutes into the flight, the helicopter was seen plummeting into the river, with propellers dramatically breaking off and spinning downwards into the same area.

Six people were onboard the plane, consisting of a family of five and a pilot. All three adults and one child were found dead when they were pulled from the water, and two other children survived the crash but died on the way to the hospital later on.

Agustín Escobar, a former senior executive for Siemens, a German technology firm, was onboard, along with his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal. Escobar was the CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens for some time, while his wife was the global commercialization manager for Siemens Energy. They were also onboard with their three kids-- two sons aged 4 and 11 and an 8-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, the pilot, Sean Johnson, was qualified to fly and was also killed in the crash.

Witnesses have confirmed that the helicopter seemed to stop in midair before starting to drop to the ground. Once the helicopter began dropping, it fell like a stone, with debris and propellers flying off during its rapid descent. Experts have also established that based on the reports and the footage, it was impossible to prevent the crash once the dropping had begun.

Weather could have played a small factor in the incident, but the conditions at the time were mild. Temperatures were usual, visibility was at least 10 miles, and wind speeds were brisk but not fast at 10-15 mph. Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and New York Police Department (NYPD) are working together to try to determine the exact cause of the crash, but the aforementioned eyewitness reports are helping authorities put the pieces together.

Fact of the Day (Today): The specks on strawberries are single seeds called achenes.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If you’re scared to fail, you don’t deserve to be successful.

(Charles Barkley)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Kitsch (noun, KITCH) - Kitsch refers to something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often cheap or tacky. Kitsch also refers to a tacky or lowbrow quality or condition.

In a Sentence: The restaurant is decorated with 1950s furniture and kitsch from old TV shows.