Published 09:52 IST, June 11th 2019
Helicopter crash-lands on a New York high-rise, causes the death of one person
A helicopter crash-landed on the roof of a 54-story office building in Midtown Manhattan on June 10, causing a fire, and leading to the death of a pilot.
A helicopter crash-landed on the roof of a 54-story office building in Midtown Manhattan on June 10, causing a fire, and leading to the death of a pilot.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said there was no indication of terrorism and the helicopter seemed to have made an emergency landing. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) received a call about the crash atop a 54-story building at 787 Seventh Ave., in midtown Manhattan around 1:45 p.m. Monday.
The FDNY said there was one fatality, believed to be the pilot of the privately owned helicopter, which is often used for travel by business executives. The pilot was the only person aboard the Augusta A109E helicopter when it crash-landed
The New York Fire Department said the helicopter's pilot was dead. No one who was in the building at the time of the helicopter crash was injured. "Some people have been evacuated," he added. Some people who were inside at the time said they "felt the building shake," the Governor was quoted as saying.
That victim was presumed to be the pilot, according to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who also said there were no other known injuries.“Thank God for that,” de Blasio said. “This could have been a much worse incident.”
A senior official told News 4 the pilot, identified by a manager at Linden Municipal Airport as Tim McCormack, had just dropped off a passenger at the East 34th Steet heliport, and may have been making his way back to the chopper's base in Linden, New Jersey, when the crash occurred.The NYPD confirmed the hard landing on the roof of 787 Seventh Avenue; it wasn't clear why the chopper would have tried to land there, nor was it immediately clear who owned the chopper.
However, Officials are still unsure how the aircraft ended up flying over Midtown, or why it was flying in the poor weather conditions which could have disoriented McCormack.
A video showing the helicopter's erratic flight before crashing was also circulated over the social media:
A fire broke out when the helicopter hit the roof, but the firefighters have extinguished the blaze at the crash site. President Trump tweeted that he has been briefed about the helicopter crash in New York City. He thanked the city's first responders for their "phenomenal job." "The Trump Administration stands ready should you need anything at all," he tweeted.
The building on Seventh Avenue is a 54-story office building that was built in 1986 and is home to restaurants and retail space on lower levels. No one inside was injured, but New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters that people inside felt the building shake when the helicopter crashed.
Morgan Aries said he was working on the 14th floor of the building Monday when he felt “minor tremors” and heard what sounded like “a bunch of cinder blocks landing,” minutes before he and his colleagues were told to evacuate.
The investigation is still underway though police have re-opened most surrounding streets to traffic.
Updated 11:11 IST, June 11th 2019