A tragic helicopter crash in the Hudson River, which claimed the lives of a family of five on vacation last year, was not merely an unfortunate accident but a foreseeable consequence of gross negligence by the tour operator, according to a new lawsuit filed by the grieving family.
This devastating incident resulted in the deaths of six individuals, including Agustin Escobar, a Siemens executive, his wife Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their children aged 4, 8, and 10. The helicopter, intended for sightseeing, disintegrated and crashed into the river just 16 minutes after departing on April 10, 2025.
The wrongful death lawsuit, initiated by Montal’s brother, Camprubi Montal, on behalf of their family’s estates, accuses New York Helicopter Charter Inc. and its CEO, Michael Roth, of operating with “willful and wanton disregard” for human safety.
The legal complaint, submitted to Manhattan Supreme Court, alleges that the family endured extreme fear and anguish in the moments leading up to their deaths, suffering significant physical and emotional distress.
The lawsuit further claims that Roth neglected essential maintenance responsibilities, specifically failing to comply with a crucial 2022 Federal Aviation Administration directive. This Airworthiness Directive mandated routine inspections of the main rotor blades on the Bell 206L-4 helicopter to detect potential delamination, where components of the blade could separate.
The FAA notice required “repetitive inspection” of the main rotor blades of the leased Bell 206L-4 helicopter to identify signs of the blade’s components separating, also called delamination.
“Once delamination occurs, the main rotor blades are subject to premature failure,” the suit states, adding that it could have caused the “mechanical failure of the tailboom” that led to the tragic mid-air separation and crash.
The suit also alleges that the company lacked a “properly qualified” safety officer, and that Roth retaliated against his director of operations by firing him a mere 16 minutes after he complied with an FAA request for the company to cease all flights until the investigation was complete.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have not finalized their investigations on the cause of the crash yet, according to their websites.
Roth told The Post that his company “did nothing wrong — it was the fault of the main rotor blades.”
“The only thing that I can say is we are horrified of the unfortunate family dying in this tragic accident and of our pilot,” he said in a phone call Tuesday, referring to chopper pilot and Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, who was also killed.
He then went on to claim that “these blades should have never been approved for use” by the FAA.
“I don’t use those blades any more,” he added.
When asked about the FAA’s requirement for the blades to be repeatedly inspected, he said that he wasn’t responsible for maintenance because the helicopter was leased.
“I don’t think you’re listening,” he said when asked who was responsible for inspecting the blades, “I think you have your own narrative.”
