The main rotor of the doomed helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River was finally recovered Monday — which could provide crucial information as investigators continue to probe what caused the deadly tragedy.
Divers were spotted pulling the rotor from the murky river Monday afternoon — days after the chopper went down off Manhattan, killing a Spanish family of five and their pilot.
The rotor will likely offer up clues as to how the sightseeing helicopter managed to break apart in midair and plunge into the water last Thursday.
Crews lift what appears to be the helicopter rotor and two blades. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post
Wreckage from the helicopter crash pulled from the Hudson River. National Transportation Safety Board
Footage captured by horrified witnesses showed parts of the aircraft tumbling through the air after it broke apart some 18 minutes into the flight.
One clip showed the rotor still spinning without the helicopter as it plummeted.
Large chunks of the mangled wreck — which was owned and operated by New York Helicopter — were quickly pulled from the river in the immediate aftermath as officials started trying to determine the cause of the wreck.
Agustin Escobar, Merce Camprubí Montal and their children in Times Square. Joan Camprubí Montal
The ill-fated Bell206L-4 LongRanger IV aircraft, which was owned and operated by New York Helicopter, had experienced a mechanical issue with its transmission assembly last September, Federal Aviation Administration records previously revealed.
As part of the probe, investigators will review the wreckage, as well as the maintenance work done on the doomed aircraft — including the completion of two recent safety airworthiness directives the FAA had issued on Bell 206L model helicopters.
The first directive, which was issued in December 2022, called for the inspection and possible replacement of the models’ main rotor blades due to “delamination” — an issue with the internal layers of the blade separating due to material fatigue, damage or other defects.
The second, put out the following May, required testing to be carried out on the tail rotor shafts of eight models, including the doomed one involved in last week’s wreck.
Officials haven’t yet zeroed in on what exactly caused the ordeal.
The bodies of the six victims — including pilot Seankese Johnson, Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, 49, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, 39, their three children, Victor, 4, Mercedes, 8, and Agustin, 10, were all retrieved from the water in the aftermath.
The retrieval of the debris came soon after the FAA revealed the tour company would be shutting down operations immediately.
In a statement posted on X, the federal agency also said it would launch an immediate review of New York Helicopter Tours’ operating license and safety record.
Meanwhile, the company said in a statement published on its website that it was cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
