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

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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.

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.

Sean uploaded the clip on March 27 (Picture: Facebook)

Sean had only recently moved to New York City (Picture: Facebook)

The location of the crash site in New York’s Hudson River (Picture: Metro)

‘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’. Sean studied to become a commercial pilot at Southern Utah University,according to his Facebook profile.

He was a co-pilot at the Montana-based aerospace company,Billings Flying Service,and used to work as a co-pilot at the forestry service,Heli-1 Corporation. He piloted a UH-60 Black Hawk,often used in firefighting.

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.

First responders are seen near the landing skids of the helicopter (Picture: AFP)

Agustín Escobar,Mercè Camprubí Montal and their children Agustín,Mercè and Víctor just before the flight (Picture: New York Helicopter Tours LLC)

Aboard the helicopter was Agustín Escobar,the president of the Spanish office of tech titan Siemens,his wife Mercè Camprubí Monta 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. 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.’

Sean had long dreamed of becoming a pilot (Picture: Facebook)

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‘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.’

Remi Adeleke,a writer and former Navy Seal,said he does not want Sean’s name to be ‘lost or forgotten’. After all,he said,Sean was a ‘vibrant’ man.

‘Sean came from very humble beginnings – but he never let that define or limit him,’ Adeleke said.

‘If anything,it fuelled him. He had a quiet determination,a spirit of resilience,and a heart that always looked out for others.’

https://www.instagram.com/p/DITzgc1RewI/?img_index=1

Adeleke added: ‘Even while in pilot school,even after graduating,he’d reach out asking,“What can I do for you? How can I help?” That’s just who he was.

‘He died doing what he loved. And he died having achieved the dream he spoke about all those years ago in that SEAL Team workspace.’

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.