The tragic helicopter crash that claimed six lives in the Hudson River near Jersey City this week continues to send shockwaves across the country. Among those killed was 36-year-old Sean Johnson, the helicopter’s pilot, a Navy veteran and aspiring aviator who had only recently moved to New York City to further his aviation career.
Johnson, originally from Chicago, had proudly shared his journey into the skies on social media. Just two weeks before the accident, he posted a video of himself flying over Lower Manhattan in the same Bell 206 helicopter that would later malfunction mid-flight.
“I’m just at a loss for words. I don’t even know what happened,” said Johnson’s wife, Kathryn Johnson, in a somber interview with Gothamist.
Though the couple had been separated in recent months, Kathryn shared they remained close. “He always wanted to fly,” she said. “He had a quiet determination, a spirit of resilience, and a heart that always looked out for others.”
A former shipmate, actor and writer Remi Adeleke, remembered Johnson from their time in the U.S. Navy.
“Sean came from very humble beginnings — but he never let that define or limit him,” Adeleke wrote on Instagram. “He realized his dream of becoming a pilot.”
I have watched this clip of a helicopter crash over the Hudson River and it’s really scary. I guess fixed wing planes are much more stable than helicopters 🚁. It was carrying a family of 5 on a sightseeing trip. pic.twitter.com/vvBojCyzIa
— Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) April 12, 2025
After his military service, Johnson worked in various roles, including as a celebrity bodyguard and TV production crew member, before eventually taking to the skies.
On Thursday, Johnson was piloting a sightseeing flight operated by New York Helicopter when the aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure. Video footage shows the helicopter’s rotors detaching mid-air before the fuselage plummeted into the Hudson River.
The flight departed from the Downtown Skyport in Manhattan carrying Agustin Escobar, CEO of Siemens Spain, his wife, and their three children. The family had been visiting New York to celebrate the mother’s 40th birthday, with the middle child’s birthday set for the following day.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are currently combing through the wreckage and reviewing footage and maintenance records. Former NTSB managing director Peter Goelz called the incident “a catastrophic failure and very unusual,” adding that rotor separation in mid-air is an extremely rare occurrence.
The Bell 206 helicopter involved in the crash was on lease from Meridian Helicopter, a Louisiana-based aviation company. Michael Campbell, a former training captain at New York Helicopter who flew the same model, told Gothamist that maintenance was prioritized during his tenure.
“We did our conformity checks. We did our periodic inspections,” he said. However, The New York Times reports that helicopters in the company’s fleet have experienced mechanical failures at least twice in the past 12 years.
The crash has reignited the conversation about the safety of nonessential helicopter flights over New York City. Lawmakers and activists are calling for stricter regulation or an outright ban.
For those who knew Sean Johnson, his story is a reminder of resilience and determination. For New Yorkers, the crash is yet another call to reevaluate how the skies above their city are used — and at what cost.
Photo Credit: Sean Johnson/Facebook
