Helicopter’s pilot is killed in crash on skyscraper roof
NEW YORK — A helicopter crash-landed on the roof of a rain-shrouded Midtown Manhattan skyscraper Monday, killing the pilot and briefly triggering memories of the Sept. 11 attacks, even though it appeared to be an accident unrelated to terrorism.
The crash near Times Square and Trump Tower shook the 750-foot-tall AXA Equitable building and forced office workers to flee on elevators and down stairs.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who spoke to reporters at the scene, said the impact caused a fire but was under control.
The pilot was believed to be the only person on board, and there were no other reports of injuries, authorities said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, or why the Agusta A109E was flying in tightly controlled airspace in Midtown Manhattan. A flight restriction in effect since President Trump took office bans aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet within a 1-mile radius of Trump Tower, which is less than a half-mile from the crash site.
The crash happened around 2 p.m., when clouds obscured the roof of the building. It occurred close to both Rockefeller Center and Times Square and sent rescue vehicles swarming to the building. The response immediately evoked memories of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“If you’re a New Yorker, you have a level of PTSD, right, from 9/11. And I remember that morning all too well. So as soon as you hear an aircraft hit a building, I think my mind goes where every New Yorker’s mind goes,” Cuomo said.
Videos posted by onlookers showed emergency vehicles in the street, but no obvious damage to the skyscraper.
Pedro Rodriguez, a pastry cook at Le Bernardin, a prominent restaurant in the building, said workers got an announcement telling everyone to exit, and he later heard from people around him that there was a fire on the roof. The evacuation was not chaotic, Rodriguez said, but he was rattled because he immediately thought of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Alex Jacobs was working on the seventh floor when he heard bells and an announcement to evacuate. He and his colleagues — who had not heard or felt an impact — used stairs to a fire exit.
“It’s really unfortunate. I Just hope everyone’s OK,” he said.
Trump tweeted from Washington that he had been briefed on the crash and that his administration was ready to help if needed. Cuomo’s office said the president and governor had spoken.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the National Transportation Safety Board would oversee an investigation.
The city currently allows helicopters to take off and land from three heliports, one each on the east and west sides and downtown Manhattan. All border rivers.