The haunting final words of the pilot at the controls of the helicopter that crashed into New York City’s Hudson River have come to light.

On Thursday afternoon, a sightseeing helicopter went down in the Hudson River across from Manhattan.

Authorities confirmed that all six people on board perished, including three young children, marking it as the city’s most fatal helicopter accident in the past seven years.

The victims have been identified as a Spanish family: Agustín Escobar, Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility; his wife, Mercè Camprubí; and their three children, aged 11, five, and four. They were reportedly marking a birthday celebration when the tragedy unfolded.

Moments before the crash, the family appeared joyful, posing for pictures beside the helicopter with bright smiles.

The pilot’s identity has not been made public.

Disturbing footage captured the aircraft spinning out of control before slamming into the river near Jersey City, New Jersey.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud noise and noted that the helicopter appeared to hit the water missing at least one of its rotor blades.

Lesly Camacho, who works at a nearby restaurant along the river, described the horrifying scene: “There was a bunch of smoke coming out. It was spinning pretty fast, and it landed in the water really hard.”

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that divers were able to retrieve all six passengers from the helicopter, which had flipped upside down upon impact.

“Four victims were pronounced dead on scene, and two more were removed to local area hospitals, where sadly both succumbed to their injuries,” she said.

The helicopter, a Bell 206 model, was part of a popular sightseeing tour offering aerial views of New York City.

It departed from the Wall Street Heliport, passed near the Statue of Liberty, and began flying north along the Hudson River.

Just 16 minutes after takeoff, disaster struck.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences to the grieving loved ones.

In a message shared on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “We have had devastating news about the helicopter accident in the River Hudson.

“Five Spaniards from the same family, three of them children, lost their lives along with the pilot. It’s an unimaginable tragedy. I share the pain of the victims’ loved ones in this heartbreaking moment.”

Michael Roth, CEO of the helicopter tour company, said the aircraft had been leased from a Louisiana-based provider and admitted uncertainty over how it could have broken apart mid-air.

Roth disclosed that the helicopter had already run out of fuel just minutes into the journey and shared what the pilot said in his final radio message.

“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 told The Telegraph.

He added that he began receiving reports from other pilots flying over the Hudson, saying they saw the helicopter overturned in the water.

“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,” Roth shared.

The crash is currently under investigation, with the National Transportation Safety Board leading the inquiry.