The US authorities will consider this Friday the hypothesis that the accident of a helicopter that occurred on Thursday in waters of the Hudson River – between New York and New Jersey – in which five Spaniards and an American pilot died, could be due to a mishap with some bird, with a drone or, perhaps, to a motor failure.
“There were three theories. There was the debate on whether it had been caused by a mishap with birds, with drones or some mechanical failure. We will see what happens,” said Jersey City mayor, Steven M. Fulop, in a press conference in which he did not clarify whether these hypotheses remain the pillars that still support the investigation.
Minutes before the intervention of New Jersey officials, the director of the National Board of Transportation Security (NTSB), Jennifer Homendy, reported that 17 people continue to be deployed around the place of the incident and assured that the investigation remains open, so it will be avoided.
Fulop appeared before the press from the headquarters of the City Council of this city – New York Vene and also bathed by the Hudson, hence it has been involved in the investigations – and offered details on how the rescue work carried out by the Office of Emergency Management of Jersey City (OEM).
“The area where the aircraft was sank has a very rocky background. So access to the area was difficult for divers (…) work on the Hudson River is always difficult because of its bad visibility conditions,” said Greg Kierce, director of the OEM, also present in the press conference.
The wrecked helicopter took off from the lower part of Manhattan in the south, before flying north to the George Washington bridge, and then went back to the south, following the New Jersey coast, when he lost control at the height of the city of Hoboken.
The loud fall of the water helicopter, in which it could be seen how it lost parts of its fuselage in the air, occurred around 15.15 local hours (19.15 GMT), and required the mobilization of divers of the fire department, as well as the New York and New Jersey Police, which rescued the victims and recovered the wireless aircraft.
Visit to Siemens and Birthday facilities
Fulop also expanded the information about the tragic trip in which this family – conformed by two Spanish executives of Siemens and their children of 4, 5 and 11 years – lost his life.
“It was the birthday of one of the children and he – the father – was here for business. He arrived on Sunday to visit some Siemens facilities in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA.
On the deceased pilot, from the mayor of Jersey City confirmed that they were “Sean” Johnson, “an African -American military, 36 -year -old veteran and whose mother lives in Utah.”