US investigation declares impact with geese possible cause of helicopter crash that killed Spanish family

A report of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) points to a collision with a flock of geese as a possible cause of the April 2025 helicopter crash in New York. Six people died, including five members of a Spanish family.

The document states that "during the examination of the fuselage and rotor blades, fragments of the foam core of the main rotor blades and a sectioned bird wing were discovered on the ground and on the roofs, about 600 metres north-west of the site where the remains were recovered".

"A specialist from the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Laboratory was invited by the NTSB to take samples of the wreckage to identify possible bird remains," the report says.

The Smithsonian Institution report indicates that "a mixed flock of Brant and Canada geese impacted the rotor blades and horizontal stabiliser", although the NTSB notes that the investigation is ongoing and there is no definitive conclusion.

The incident occurred on 10 April 2025, when the helicopter fell into the Hudson river in New York, with six people on board. The accident claimed the lives of Agustín Escobar, former CEO of Siemens Spain, his wife and three children, as well as the pilot, Sean Johnson.

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