Operator of Helicopter That Crashed in Hudson River Reveals Pilot Radioed to Say He ‘Needed Fuel’ Before Tragedy

• The operator of the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday, April 10, killing all six people on board, has said that the pilot radioed to say he was heading back to refuel before the tragedy occurred
• “It should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive,” New York Helicopters CEO, Michael Roth, told The Telegraph
• A family of five died in the crash, along with the pilot, who has not yet been identified

The operator of the helicopter that crashed in the Hudson River, killing all six people on board, has said the aircraft was heading back to refuel before the tragedy occurred.

On Thursday, April 10, at around 3:17 p.m., the helicopter crashed into the river after taking off from downtown N.Y.C. just before 3:00 p.m., New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a press conference.

The victims have since been identified as Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of the technology company Siemens, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, a city official told PEOPLE. The pilot, who was also killed, has not been identified yet.

The helicopter was operated by tour company New York Helicopters, and CEO Michael Roth, 71, has since said that the pilot radioed base to say they were returning to the helipad to get more fuel shortly before the crash, per 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,” Roth told the U.K. newspaper.

The CEO added to the outlet, “We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.”

“I got a call from my manager and my downtown heliport and she said she heard there was a crash, and then my phone blew up from everybody,” he recalled. “Then one of my pilots flew over the Hudson and saw the helicopter upside down.”

“The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster,” Roth told the publication.

The helicopter in the crash was described as a Bell 206 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is investigating alongside the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Energy corporation Siemens Energy was among those paying tribute to the victims. The company said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that their employee, Camprubi Montal, had died in the crash.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the loss of a colleague due to a tragic accident during vacation. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends and colleagues of the victims,” a spokesperson said.

Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while the other two were taken to a local hospital and then pronounced dead, according to NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.

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

“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,” he added to the outlet.

PEOPLE could not immediately reach Roth’s company for comment on Thursday, April 10. The cause of the crash, which is still unknown, remains under investigation.