Witness describes what happened just before helicopter plummeted into Hudson River killing pilot and family of five

The helicopter that fatally crashed in New York yesterday killing six people 'broke apart' in 'mid-air' just before plummeting into the Hudson River, several witnesses have now said.

A family-of-five were amongst those killed, alongside the pilot of the tourist aircraft.

The parents were identified earlier this morning as Agustín Escobar, the chief executive for rail infrastructure for the technology company Siemens, and his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, a global manager at an energy technology company.

The married pair - who hailed from Barcelona - were visiting the East Coast city with their three children, aged four, five and 11, all of whom died in the crash.

A witness to the devastating collision has since spoken to press about what they observed just minutes before.

Six people were killed in the crash (Andres Kudacki/Getty Images)

Speaking to press, 28-year-old Bruce Wall recalled seeing the aircraft 'falling apart probably 15 feet before it actually fell'.

He told the New York Post: "And then the tail whipped off."

Walls claims he then heard a 'loud crash'.

"The helicopter was still pretty loud," he explained. "And then just a loud, loud crash into water."

Another witness - a woman who wishes to remain anonymous - later told BBC Radio 4 that the chopper 'was a little bit nose down slightly', and that it 'kept spinning in the air'.

A third told press that the helicopter split in half in mid-air - just 15 minutes after it took off with the family - before falling into the water.

Footage of the devastating crash has also been released, showing the aircraft spinning upside down before plummeting into the Hudson.

The cause of the fall remains unclear, though Michael Roth - CEO of the air touring firm, New York Helicopter Tours, has since given further detail on what he believes went on.

Three of the victims were children (New York Helicopter Tours LLC)

He told the Telegraph that the pilot of the helicopter had radioed to say they were returning to the helipad, though the tourists never arrived.

"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, 71, explained.

In conversation with the New York Post, he added: "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."

According to The Independent, experts believe a freak mechanical failure caused the crash.

Speaking of the world's loss, Roth added: "We’re all devastated. Every employee in our company is devastated. My wife has not stopped crying.

"The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster."