Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board began on Friday examining the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed in the Hudson River, killing all six people on board.
The victims included Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal and their three children, according to the Associated Press. The pilot was also killed.
Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the NTSB, said the pilot had more than 700 hours of flying time but it's unclear how much experience he had in the Bell 206, which crashed on Friday.
Homendy added that it's still too early to know a preliminary cause of the crash.
The chartered sightseeing helicopter went down around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday.
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Divers recovered the bodies from the river shortly after the crash. Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were taken to nearby hospitals, where they later died from their injuries.
Escobar and his family were visiting from Spain, where they were being mourned.
“(I am) dismayed by the tragic helicopter accident in the Hudson River in New York which cost the lives of six people, five of which were members of a Barcelona family,” Catalan regional president Salvador Illa wrote on X.
Investigators will be taking a close look at videos posted online, one of which appears to show the helicopter breaking apart and inverting before crashing into the river. Homendy said dive teams are still searching for the main rotor and tail of the helicopter in the river. She also asked the public to send photos or videos of the crash to witness@ntsb.gov.
