NTSB probes fatal helicopter crash in midtown Manhattan

A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are on the scene of Monday’s fatal helicopter crash on top of a building on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan.

News 12 Staff

Jun 11, 2019, 3:46 PM

Updated 1,790 days ago

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A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are on the scene of Monday’s fatal helicopter crash on top of a building on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan.
They want to know why the pilot, identified as Tim McCormack, of Dutchess County, flew into restricted airspace, and if he was in contact with air traffic control.
The helicopter crash landed on the top of the building on Seventh Avenue Monday afternoon, resulting in a fire in the heart of midtown Manhattan.
The crash onto the roof of the AXA Equitable building happened on a gray, rainy day close to Rockefeller Center and Times Square, immediately evoking memories of the Sept. 11 attacks.
A flight restriction in the area has been in effect since President Donald Trump took office. That bans aircraft from flying 3,000 feet and within a 1-mile radius of Trump Tower, which is just a few blocks from the crash site.
Investigators think McCormack may have been trying to make it back to his base in Linden, New Jersey when he lost visibility. The 58-year-old was a longtime volunteer firefighter.
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