What started as a joyful birthday outing quickly turned into an unthinkable tragedy when a Bell 206 helicopter operated by New York Helicopters crashed into the Hudson River at 3:17PM on April 10.

Heartbreaking images shared online captured an eight-year-old birthday girl beaming from the cockpit just before takeoff, excited for a scenic tour over New York City to mark her ninth birthday.

Only 16 minutes into the flight, the aircraft went down near Pier 40 in Lower Manhattan, killing all six people on board.

The young girl, her siblings – aged four and five – and their parents, Agustin Escobar and Merce Camprubi Montal, all died in the crash. The pilot, identified as Navy SEAL veteran Sean Johnson, was also killed.

The family had just flown to New York from Barcelona, Spain, the Daily Mail reported. They were also reportedly celebrating the mom’s 40th birthday.

Escobar was a top executive at Siemens Mobility. His wife, Merce, worked for Siemens Energy in Barcelona as a global commercialization manager.

Juan Ignacio Diaz, a longtime friend and former Siemens colleague of Escobar, described the father as someone who was deeply committed to his wife and children.

“They were everything to him,” he told The New York Post. “He loved his wife and kids so much – he was a loving, fun, and just really cool dad. I’m going to miss him and his family. I love you my friend.”

“He was such a great person – kind, steady, and always there when you needed him,” Diaz added. “No matter how hard things got, he always stayed calm and kept it together. He had this way of making things feel OK, even when they weren’t.”