Relative of Hudson River helicopter crash family flies in to US to identify bodies

The causes of death for the family of five and pilot killed in the tragic Hudson River helicopter crash have yet to be determined — as a relative of one of the dead has arrived in the US to possibly identify the bodies, authorities said Saturday.Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said the brother of Mercè Camprubi Montal — who was killed in the accident Thursday alongside her husband and their three young children — had flown in from Spain Friday.“There is still quite bit of a process to go through now,” Fulop told The Post Saturday while awaiting an afternoon press conference from the National Transportation Safety Board.“The family member may have to ID the bodies and they still have to arrange transport back to Spain.The Spanish consulate is involved and Siemens has people working on this.”The bodies are being kept at the Hudson County Medical Examiner’s office in the meantime.“They still have to figure out the cause of death, was it from drowning or was it from the propeller? Right now we’re all waiting to hear what the NTSB has to say,” said Fulop.Camprubi Montal, her husband, Agustin Escobar, and their three young kids — Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4 — and their pilot, former Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, were about 25 minutes into their sightseeing tour in the Bell 206L chopper when it suddenly broke apart over the Hudson River and crashed into the frigid waters near Jersey City.

An aviation expert said it’s likely Johnson knew something was seriously wrong as the chopper broke apart midair.“I think the pilot would have been aware something was wrong but the passengers may not have,” aviation lawyer Jim Brauchle told The Post.

“Obviously pilots who fly all the time are going to know something is wrong but passengers may not appreciate the danger they are in right away.”“Once the thing starts spinning, then people know it’s something catastrophic.Passengers eventually figure it out.”Brauchle said the doome...