For the Siemens CEO from Barcelona and his family of five, it was meant to be an unforgettable helicopter tour over New York. Instead, the flight ended in tragedy: the aircraft crashed into the Hudson River. Investigators now know why.
Just before take-off, there was time for one last family photo – a few minutes later the head of Siemens' Spanish division, Agustín Escobar, his wife and their three children aged eleven, seven and four, together with the helicopter pilot, plunged into the icy Hudson River.
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More than a year after the disaster, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released the findings of its investigation. According to the report, investigators discovered the remains of several geese in the helicopter's rotor blades.
According to police, four people died at the scene, while two others succumbed to their injuries later in hospital.
Bird strikes are a routine occurrence in aviation, but serious accidents caused by geese are extremely rare. Large flocking birds such as geese, however, can cause considerable damage on impact.