The grieving family of the helicopter crash victims in New York on Thursday shared a heartbreaking tribute amid speculation over the cause of the crash.

It comes as aviation expert Julian Bray suggested that a faulty ‘Jesus nut’ – which holds the entire rotor system together – could have been behind the tragedy. 

Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of Siemens, and his family had only arrived in the city earlier in the day on Thursday before the fatal crash that very afternoon.

Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children, aged four, five, and 11 years old, were all killed alongside the pilot, aged 36.   

The faulty ‘Jesus nut’ would have caused the helicopter blades to break free from the rotor while still in motion, according to Bray. 

As it detached, the spinning blades would then have ripped through the body of the chopper before it crashed into the water below, Bray told The Sun. 

Footage showed the tragic moment the helicopter plunged into the Hudson River, as the spinning blades were seen falling separately from the main body of the aircraft. 

The Bell 206 helicopter was also seen breaking in half before making contact with the water.

Bray told the Sun: ‘What appears to have happened with this particular helicopter is that the rotor, the main rotor… had detached, because in one video we see the blades spinning away from the helicopter.’ 

‘But this appears to have sliced through the back half of the helicopter, so the fuselage then drops like a stone into the river Hudson right opposite Pier 41.’ 

‘There is a particular procedure which has to be checked every time it’s serviced, and it’s known as the Jesus Bolt… because without that the whole thing falls apart.’ 

‘It looks as though it’s [the] Jesus bolt or Jesus PIN… It’s either defective or wasn’t tightened up, or for some reason it sheared,’ Bray added. 

Joan Camprubí Montal posted aheartbreaking letter on X on Friday, which was signed by 19 members of the Escobar and Camprubí Montal families. It read: ‘Grateful for your support that keeps us strong. 

‘The Escobar-Camprubís will always be among us, with their joy and vitality. We love you family.’

The letter was posted alongside a photo of the family in Times Square read: ‘There are no words to describe what we are experiencing, nor to thank you for the warmth received.’

‘These are very difficult times, but optimism and joy have always characterized our family. We want to preserve the memory of a happy and united family, in the sweetest moment of their lives.’ 

The family shared that they would be travelling to New York to bring the victims’ bodies home and said they had found solace in the knowledge that the young family ‘passed away together.’ 

‘They have gone away together, leaving an indelible mark among all their family, friends and acquaintances.’  

‘In the coming days we will send you the details of the farewell ceremony they deserve, but in the meantime, we ask for the utmost respect for their privacy, given the global impact of this tragedy and the involvement of the three minors.’ 

‘Your support keeps us strong, and the Escobar-Camprubí will always be with us and in our hearts. Escobar Cañadas Family: Agustín, Josefina, María José, Jose, Jose, Irene and Jorge. Camprubi Montal Family: Joan, Merche, Joan, Cristina, Berta, Albert, Jan, Bru, Berta, Teo, Alex and Anna.’ 

The chopper was seen crashing into the murky waters of the Hudson River, closer to the New Jersey side, at around 3.15pm.

‘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,’ former military aviator and attorney Jim Brauchle of Motley Rice LLC told DailyMail.com.

‘The two main causes of this phenomenon are mechanical failure or excessive maneuvering. Still, a full investigation is needed to understand why this tragedy occurred.

‘Having previously represented the families of tourists killed during a helicopter tour over the Hudson River, my heart goes out to the families at this catastrophic time.’

A ‘catastrophic mechanical failure’ left the pilot with no chance to save the helicopter, said Justin Green, an aviation lawyer who was a helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps.

It is possible the helicopter’s main rotors struck the tail boom, breaking it apart and causing the cabin to free fall, Green said.

‘They were dead as soon as whatever happened happened,’ Green said. ‘There’s no indication they had any control over the craft. No pilot could have prevented that accident once they lost the lifts. It’s like a rock falling to the ground. It’s heartbreaking.’

One man described the sound from the aircraft like a ‘sonic boom.’

Heartbreaking photos showed the family grinning from ear to ear as they prepared to board the chopper and tour the city skies.

The young children sat on board the chopper, one with a thumbs up like his dad who was sat opposite him, while Escobar’s wife laughed next to their youngest child.

Another of their children was seen strapped in front of the helicopter next to the pilot, smiling in another picture.

The family were on vacation in New York to celebrate the birthday of one of their young daughters, according to Spanish outlet Antena3. 

Michael Roth, 71, who owns New York Helicopter which provided the tour and the chopper, said the aircraft was running out of fuel before it crashed.

‘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,’ Roth told The Telegraph.

Roth said he was devastated by the crash and agreed with other experts that the video appears to show the main rotor blades had broken off.

‘The only thing I know by watching a video of the helicopter falling down, that the main rotor blades weren’t on the helicopter,’ he told the New York Post.

‘And I haven’t seen anything like that in my 30 years being in business, in the helicopter business. The only thing I could guess – I got no clue – is that it either had a bird strike or the main rotor blades failed. I have no clue. I don’t know.’

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others later passed away in hospital, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

While skies were clear at the time, footage showed the helicopter flying ‘erratically’ just before it fell into the water.

Flying on board were the tourist family of five as well as the pilot of the chopper.

‘Our hearts go out to the families of those who were onboard,’ Mayor Eric Adams said. ‘All six have been removed from the water, and sadly all six victims were pronounced dead.’

Emergency responders were seen late Thursday night pulling the remnants of the destroyed helicopter from the murky water of the Hudson River. Photos showed a crane pulling mangled clumps of metal out of the river. 

Rashmi Kamkeri, a 30-year-old engineer, was working remotely from her apartment in Newport Park when she heard a deafening crash about 3:19 p.m. on Thursday.

‘It was horrifying,’ Kamkeri told DailyMail.com. ‘I thought it was thunder and ten seconds later I saw the helicopter 10 feet above the water falling and then it made a big splash and went underneath the water.

‘I panicked… then saw a piece of the helicopter fall into the water. The Waterway boat was moving and then it took a turn.

‘I was almost in tears praying that someone would come and save them. I wished there would be someone who survives. I am so sad.’

Escobar worked for the tech company Siemens for more than 27 years, most recently as global CEO for rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, according to his LinkedIn account. In late 2022 he briefly became president and CEO of Siemens Spain.

In a post about the position, he thanked his family, ‘my endless source of energy and happiness, for their unconditional support, love… and patience.’

Escobar regularly posted about the importance of sustainability in the rail industry and often traveled internationally for work, including journeying to India and the UK in the past month. He also was vice president of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain since 2023.

‘We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones,’ Siemens said in a statement early Friday.

Camprubí Montal worked in Barcelona, Spain, for energy technology company Siemens Energy for about seven years, including as global commercialization manager and as a digitalization manager, according to her LinkedIn account.

Spanish regional government officials said the family resided in Barcelona.

‘(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.

Another regional official said Agustin Escobar was originally from Puertollano, a town in central Spain.

‘I want to express my sorrow for the traffic helicopter accident in New York that claimed the lives of Agustín Escobar and his family,’ Castilla La Mancha regional president Emiliano García-Page wrote on X.

 ‘Agustín is native of Puertollano and in 2023 we named him a Favorite Son of Castilla La Mancha.’

At least 32 have been killed in helicopter crashes in New York City since 1977.

The most recent crash happened in 2018 when a chopper hit crashed into the East River, leaving five passengers dead.

The chopper crashed on March 11, 2018 when the tail of the aircraft got caught on the fuel shutoff lever, the NTSB said.

All the passengers on board drowned. They were identified as Daniel Thompson, 34, Tristian Hill, 29, Trevor Cadigan, 26, Brian McDaniel, 26, and Carla Vallejos-Blanco, 29.