Pilot who died in Hudson River crash rode same helicopter model only weeks ago

The pilot of a helicopter which crashed into New York City’s Hudson River has been identified as a Navy SEAL veteran with a deep love of flying.

Seankese ‘Sean’ Johnson, 36, moved to the city to continue his aviation career last month.

Only two weeks ago, he uploaded video footage of himself proudly piloting a Bell 206 helicopter – the very model that crashed yesterday.

‘When it all comes together,’ the Chicago native wrote, as he soared across lower Manhattan.

He had only days before changed his Facebook Cover photo to a shot he took of New York from above.

‘I’m just at a loss for words. I don’t even know what happened,’ Johnson’s widow, Kathryn Johnson, told the Gothamist.

‘It’s just hard right now.’

Sean had quite the CV. In the Navy, he was a gunner’s mate responsible for fixing equipment, but also worked as a celebrity bodyguard and had a stint on TV.

But above all, his wife said, he ‘always wanted to fly’. His Facebook profile says he was a co-pilot at the Montana-based aerospace company, Billings Flying Service.

Sean was behind the controls of a chopper operated by the tour company, New York Helicopter, for just 15 minutes after taking off when it tumbled and smashed into the river at high speed yesterday.

Footage showed the chopper’s rotor ripping off as the craft nose-dived into the water, debris hurtling through the air.

Aboard the helicopter were Agustín Escobar and Mercè Camprubí Monta, two top Spanish executives, and their three children: Agustín, 10, Mercè, 8, and Víctor, 4.

No one survived.

On Facebook, Earl Watters, who flew with Sean last year as copilot, described Sean as his ‘great friend’.

‘The world has lost an all-around great person and amazing friend,’ he wrote.

‘He definitely changed my life for the better and I just want to celebrate his life and how he lived.’

Others said Sean was known for his resilience and heart. Niko Tiapula, an artist known as ‘Niko the Wanderer’, said: ‘RIP to one of the most outstanding men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.’

‘We served together on the USS Ronald Reagan from 2008 to 2011,’ he said, adding: ‘He was like a big brother figure who inspired not just me, but everyone around us.

‘He did what he loved. He made it in life.’

Sean had been flying a popular route showcasing the city’s skyline. He took off from Downtown Manhattan Heliport, circled by the Statue of Liberty, flew north and looped around before heading south just off New Jersey’s shoreline, according to tracker FlightRadar24.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Bell 206 is a common single-engine aircraft used in police missions, as an air ambulance and for aerial tourism.

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