An AgustaWestland AW109E similar to the accident aircraft
| |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 10, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-06-10) |
| Summary | Helicopter crashed onto roof of a building |
| Site | Axa Equitable Center, 787 Seventh Avenue, New York City 40°45′43″N 73°58′56″W / 40.761882°N 73.982181°W / 40.761882; -73.982181 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | AgustaWestland AW109E |
| Registration | N200BK |
| Flight origin | East 34th Street Heliport (6N5)[1] |
| Destination | Linden, New Jersey |
| Occupants | 1 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 1[2] |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On June 10, 2019, an Agusta A109E Power crashed onto the Axa Equitable CenteronSeventh AvenueinManhattan, New York City, which sparked a fire on the top of the building. The helicopter involved in the accident, N200BK,[3] was destroyed. The only occupant was the pilot, Tim McCormack, who died in the crash.[4] The aircraft was owned by Italian American businessman Daniele Bodini at the time of the crash.[1][5]
The flight originated from the East 34th Street Heliport (FAA LID: 6N5) at approximately 1:32 PM EDT bound for Linden, New Jersey. At around 1:43 PM EDT on June 10, 2019, the helicopter, an Agusta A109E Power, registration N200BK, crashed on the roof of the Axa Equitable Center,[6] sparking a fire on the top of the building. The first emergency call was made at 1:43 PM. The FDNY has considered the accident as a "hard landing." The fire on the top of the highrise was extinguished quickly.
The NTSB final report[7] states that day instrument meteorological conditions were encountered (nearby station reporting 500 ft (150 m) overcast ceiling and 1.25 mi (2.0 km) visibility) for the Part 91 corporate flight, that basic visual flight rules weather minimums for helicopters are 0.5 mi (0.8 km) visibility, and remain clear of clouds, that the pilot radioed that he "did not know where he was", and that tracking data showed that the helicopter "flew erratically" and "changed course and altitude several times". A witness-recorded video of part of the flight is available.[8]
After the accident, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio briefed the press, confirming a lack of further victims or apparent terroristic motive.[8] The National Transportation Safety Board sent agents to investigate the accident.[9] The accident prompted Mayor de Blasio to call for a ban on non-emergency helicopters flying over Manhattan.[10] Former City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe countered that the mayor had the authority to eliminate ninety percent of helicopter traffic by himself by eliminating the more than 200 daily tourist and charter flights from city-owned heliports.[10]
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Aviation accidents and incidents in 2019 (2019)
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|---|---|
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Jan 21 English Channel Piper PA-46 crash Feb 11 Feb 23 Feb 24 Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight 147 Feb 27 Mar 4 Mar 9 Mar 10 Apr 22 May 3 Miami Air International Flight 293 May 5 May 8 Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight 060 May 13 May 20 Jun 3 Jun 10 New York City helicopter crash Jun 27 Jul 14 Skydive Umeå Gippsland GA8 Airvan crash Jul 30 Pakistan Army military plane crash Aug 15 Aug 31 Sep 1 Philippines Beechcraft King Air crash Oct 2 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash Oct 4 Ukraine Air Alliance Flight 4050 Oct 17 Nov 24 Busy Bee Congo Dornier 228 crash Nov 25 Dec 9 Dec 27 | |
