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The pilot of the helicopter that cracked in half before going down into the Hudson River in New York has been identified as an ex-Navy SEAL named Sean Johnson.
Thursday proved yet another dark day for American aviation as a family of five ended up dead in said river after embarking on a sightseeing tour with Johnson, who also lost his life in the disastrous incident.
According to Gothamist, Johnson, a Navy SEAL veteran, was behind the controls. Just a few days before the disastrous incident, he posted a video of himself flying to his Facebook page.
He’s said to have moved to New York to further his flying career.
It did not appear that human error was to blame for the fatal crash as the chopper split into separate pieces before going down into the Hudson.
Sean Johnson “Always Wanted To Fly”
Michael Roth, who owns the craft and runs the sightseeing company, revealed that Johnson had radioed base to say he would be returning for fuel. The trip that should have taken around three minutes never materialized, with around 20 minutes gone before Roth was made aware of a crash in the Hudson.
He revealed that another one of his pilots saw the chopper upside down while flying over the river.
Sean Johnson’s wife, Kathryn, told Gothamist she was still trying to process what happened on Friday morning.
“ I’m just at loss for words. I don’t even know what happened,” she said. “ It’s just hard right now.”
The former SEAL, a gunner’s mate responsible for fixing equipment, is said to have taken up several jobs after he left the Navy. According to his wife, he worked on a TV show and as a celebrity bodyguard but “always wanted to fly.”
Kathryn added that they had been separated for the last few months but remained close. She last spoke to him on Wednesday, though he did not mention any plans for a flight the next day.
TPS offers condolences to Sean’s wife, the rest of his family family, his friends, and loved ones as they try to cope with this challenging situation.
