EW YORK – A helicopter crashed into a building on 7th Avenue on Monday, killing the pilot, starting a fire and halting traffic on nearby streets in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the city Fire Department said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said preliminary information indicated the helicopter made an emergency landing on the building – in the heart of tightly controlled airspace – shortly before 2 p.m. He said he did not know why, but authorities said there was no indication the crash was terrorism related.
Cuomo said the crash resulted in a fire on the roof that was extinguished by firefighters.
“Most importantly, (there is) no evidence that it was anything other than an aircraft accident,” he said.
The crash onto the roof of the AXA Equitable building occurred on a gray, rainy day close to both Rockefeller Center and Times Square and sent rescue vehicles swarming to the area. 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.
The privately owned helicopter had taken off from the 34th street heliport 11 minutes before the crash, authorities said. Mayor Bill de Blasio said there did not appear to be any injuries to people in the building or on the ground. The helicopter apparently had no passengers aboard, he said.
“There is no nexus to terror,” de Blasio said. “There is no ongoing threat to New York City.”
A flight restriction in effect since President Donald Trump took office bans aircraft from the area. Aircraft are not allowed to fly below 3,000 feet and within a 1-mile radius of Trump Tower, which is just a few blocks from the crash site.
Franklin Acosta said he was in his 38th floor office at the William Lea outsourcing company when he heard what sounded like a small airplane passing by.
