The pilot of the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, killing all six people aboard, was identified as 36-year-old Sean Johnson.
His Facebook profile showed he had recently moved to the city to continue his aviation career. In fact, his profile picture, uploaded in late March, shows the former Navy SEAL piloting a plane over New York City.
The picture is a still from a video Johnson uploaded two days before in the helicopter with the caption "When it all comes together." Comments congratulated him. He was operating the same helicopter model, a Bell 206, when the aircraft suddenly lost control and crashed into the river while he was carrying a Spanish family of five.
Reports detailed that Johnson the base shortly after taking off that they were running out of fuel. The helicopter crash moments later, splitting in half a little over 15 minutes after taking off.
Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter Tours, told media outlets he's still unsure how the crash happened, only confirming that his pilot had reported a fuel issue before vanishing from radar.
"I don't know anything how this went down. The only thing I can tell you: we are devastated. My wife hasn't stopped crying since this afternoon. We're a small company," Roth told CBS New York.
Johnson's wife, Kathryin, spoke to local outlet Gothamist on Friday, saying she is " just at loss for words." "I don't even know what happened," she added.
A former military aviator and attorney told the Daily Mail that "from the footage, it appears that the main rotor struck the body of the helicopter, cutting off the tail of the helicopter, which created an unrecoverable event."
Jim Brauchle added that the two possible causes are "mechanical failure or excessive maneuvering" but clarified that a "full investigation is needed to understand why this tragedy occurred."
Two members of the family were still alive when pulled from its frigid waters, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. She did not identify the two people, but the family was comprised by Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, Merce Camprubi Montal, who also worked at the company, and their three children.
A state lawmaker is calling for a ban on helicopter tours over New York City following the crash, with Sen. Brad Holyman-Sigal saying the tragedy could have been even worse had the aircraft fallen on a densely-populated area. He said only first responder and press should be allowed to circle over the city. "There's no reason to allow tourists and tour flight operators to use our valuable precious airspace," Holyman-Sigal told ABC 7 New York.
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