The National Transportation Safety Board has begun the investigation process in the Manhattan helicopter crash landing that killed the pilot.

Tim McCormack, 58, of Clinton Corners in Dutchess County, was a former chief of the East Clinton Volunteer Fire Department.

According to the FAA, McCormack was certified to fly helicopters in 2004. Even with that experience, the conditions Monday were far from ideal.

Witness video shows that rain, wind and fog could have been factors in the crash. The NTSB said that McCormack had picked up a passenger in Westchester earlier in the day, dropped them off in Manhattan and departed for New Jersey at 1:30 p.m.

 

The crash landing happened around 10 minutes later on the rooftop of the AXA Equitable Building on Seventh Avenue. Investigators say the helicopter did not have a voice or flight data recorder installed on board, but they say there are ways for them to recover similar information.

The NTSB has begun interviewing witnesses. It's in the very early stages of its investigation.

"We began our scene documentation focusing on preserving perishable evidence, such as wreckage condition, witness statements, records and video recordings. We have much more work to do before this investigation is complete," says air safety investigator Doug Brazy.

The NTSB says it will have a preliminary report in about two weeks, but it'll likely take longer than that to figure out the exact cause of the accident.

RELATED:
Pilot killed in Manhattan helicopter crash was volunteer firefighter 
1 killed in helicopter crash on roof of Manhattan skyscraper