The impact with a flock of birds, main hypothesis of the helicopter accident in the Hudson River in which a Catalan family died

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) suggests that impact with a flock of birds is the most probable cause of the helicopter accident in which a Catalan family and the pilot died on April 10, 2025, in the Hudson River, New York. The report, published this Thursday, concludes that there is evidence compatible with a bird strike before the aircraft lost control and plunged into the river. The report, published this Thursday, concludes that there is evidence compatible with a bird strike before the aircraft lost control and plunged into the river.

Investigators have found bird wing fragments about 600 meters from the impact point, as well as biological remains on the main rotor blades of the helicopter, evidence that reinforces this hypothesis. The aircraft, a Bell 206 L-4 from the company New York Helicopter Tours, lost its blades in mid-flight, as captured by several videos recorded by witnesses.

In the accident, Agustín Escobar, a director at Siemens Mobility, died; his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, a director at Siemens Energy and granddaughter of former Barça president Agustí Montal; their three children, aged 4, 5, and 11, and the helicopter pilot. The family had traveled to New York to celebrate one of the children's birthdays.

The helicopter did not have a black box, which has hampered the investigation. After the accident, the victims' family filed a lawsuit for negligence against the operating company, alleging a lack of maintenance of the rotor blades. Furthermore, the aircraft, manufactured in 2004 and with more than 12,700 flight hours accumulated, had registered a mechanical incident in September 2024, although the investigation has not yet established any direct link to the accident.