Warning: This article contains images which some readers may find distressing.
Footage of the tragic helicopter crash in New York City which resulted in six deaths may shed some light on what happened.
A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River yesterday (10 April) at around 3.15pm local time, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and a family of five who were on board.
Eyewitness reports claimed that they'd seen the helicopter 'splitting in half' as it plunged towards the water, with one man saying he saw the aircraft 'splitting in two with the rotor flying off in the sky'.
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Footage from the ground of the crash has shown the helicopter's rotor blades spinning through the air as the aircraft fell into the water.
This detail may point towards the cause of the crash, as former military aviator Jim Brauchle of Motley Rice LLC told the Daily Mail that with the rotor blades seen separated from the helicopter and spinning in the air it could have sliced the tail off the vehicle.
"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," he explained, before saying an investigation would still be needed to be sure of exactly what happened.
"The two main causes of this phenomenon are mechanical failure or excessive maneuvering.
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"Still, a full investigation is needed to understand why this tragedy occurred."
Authorities later confirmed that all six people on board died in the crash, with four being pronounced dead at the scene and two others being taken to hospital before they 'sadly both succumbed to their injuries'.
The family were Spanish nationals, Siemens executive tech Agustín Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three children, aged 4, 5 and 11.
They had arrived in NYC from Barcelona earlier that day.
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During the flight the pilot called to say he was landing and 'needed fuel', according to the helicopter owner Michael Roth, CEO of New York Helicopter Tours.
He told The Telegraph: "He [the pilot] called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel, and it should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn't arrive.
"We're all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.
"The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster."
He said he had 'no clue' how the helicopter went down but suggested it could 'either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed'.
Joe Harker