A fist-sized piece of steel known as the “Jesus nut” could be a crucial piece of evidence in the horrific helicopter crash that killed a Spanish family of five and their pilot in Manhattan earlier this week.
The so-called “Jesus nut” holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters — and some experts have speculated that it could have been why the chopper broke apart midair.
“What appears to have happened with this particular helicopter is that the rotor, the main rotor… had detached, because in one video we see the blades spinning away from the helicopter,” aviation analyst Julian Bray told The Sun.
“But this appears to have sliced through the back half of the helicopter, so the fuselage then drops like a stone into the river Hudson right opposite Pier 41.”
Bray also said that it’s standard procedure to regularly check the “Jesus nut.”
“There is a particular procedure which has to be checked every time it’s serviced, and it’s known as the ‘Jesus bolt’ … because without that the whole thing will fall apart,” he said.
“It’s either defective or wasn’t tightened up, or for some reason it sheared.”
The chopper’s rotors are still missing, the National Transportation Safety Board said at a press conference Friday.
The term “Jesus nut” was most likely coined during the Vietnam War — referring to the fact that if it happened to detach, the only thing the crew could do was pray to Jesus, according to Technology.org.
The tragic crash on Thursday afternoon took the lives of the pilot, Navy veteran Sean Johnson, 36, and a family of tourists — Agustín Escobar, 49, his wife, Mercè Camprubí Montal, and their three children — Augustin, 10, Mercedes, 8, and Victor, 4 — in tow.
Mercedes would’ve celebrated her 9th birthday on the Big Apple trip.
The family embarked on the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV sightseeing chopper, which broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River 25 minutes into its tour of Manhattan.
The aircraft had a mechanical issue with its transmission last September, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. By then, it had logged 12,728 hours of flight time.
The Escobar family’s relatives posted a heartfelt note on X on Friday to honor them.
“There are no words to describe what we are experiencing, nor to thank you for the warmth received,” said the letter, posted on X by Joan Camprubí Montal, and signed by 19 members of the Escobar and Camprubí Montal families.
“These are very difficult times, but optimism and joy have always characterized our family. We want to preserve the memory of a happy and united family, in the sweetest moment of their lives.”
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