Following the tragic helicopter accident that claimed the lives of an entire family of five, as well as that of the pilot, aviation expert Julian Bray suggests a possible cause.
According to him, the reason of the crash and the helicopter breaking apart in midair and plunging into the Hudson River, landing upside down, could be a faulty “Jesus nut.”
“Jesus nut” is a single bolt that holds the entire rotor system together in helicopters. In case this nut fails mid-air, nothing else holds the rotor on and the aircraft becomes uncontrollable. The name comes from the idea that if it falls off, Jesus is the only hope. That’s how vital this part is.
Speaking to The Sun, the expert explained, “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.”
He then spoke of the Jesus nut and the possibility of it being the cause of the tragic helicopter crash.
“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 will fall apart,” he said.
“It looks as though it’s [the] Jesus bolt or Jesus PIN.”
Bray believes that because of some reason, this part was either defective or not tightened up.
Hudson River Helicopter Crash video shows that the rotor blades were fully detached from the fuselage but still spinning. This likely was NOT engine failure. pic.twitter.com/uomJlEt7n7
— Box Cat DGAF (@cgraft) April 10, 2025
The investigation is still ongoing, but videos from the tragic crash show the rotor indeed detaching from the helicopter.
A user commented under the video, “Hudson River Helicopter Crash video shows that the rotor blades were fully detached from the fuselage but still spinning. This likely was NOT engine failure.”
Yes, the propeller is completely missing. Here, the copter is upside down. pic.twitter.com/RC5dS4Ao0F
— Stating The Obvious (@Stating3Obvious) April 10, 2025
The crash claimed the lives of Agustín Escobar, the president of the Spanish branch of Siemens, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, aged 4, 5, and 11 years old.
Allegedly, they arrived in New York the day prior and wanted to sightsee the city aboard the single-engine Bell 206 helicopter operated by New York Helicopter.
Just before the tragedy that claimed their lives, the family posed in front and inside the aircraft which was flying around 18 minutes before the deadly fall. They reportedly visited New York and booked the chopper to celebrate one of their children’s birthday.
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