DRAMA – A helicopter crashed on the roof of a building in the heart of Manhattan in New York on Monday, killing the pilot. An investigation was opened to determine the causes of the accident.
2019-06-11T06:22:43.510+02:00 – Melanie Faure
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On Monday, a helicopter landed suddenly on the roof of a 54-story tower in the heart of Manhattan. Its pilot died following the impact. But then what happened? At midday, a private Agusta A109E-type aircraft, according to the US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), had taken off from the 34th Street heliport while New York City was then covered in a thick fog. Eleven minutes later, it crashed violently, causing strong vibrations in the affected building and caught fire in the process.
The accident took place not far from Times Square and the Trump Tower on a 54-story tower located on 7th Avenue, between 51st and 52nd streets, which notably houses the American headquarters of the French bank BNP Paribas, which was evacuated. According to the New York Post, the victim is Tim McCormack, a volunteer firefighter who served for 10 years in Clinton County.
The causes of the accident
An investigation was opened to determine the causes of the accident. The city authorities and the NTSB, the federal agency in charge of transport safety are mobilized, said Mayor Bill de Blasio, during a press briefing. “We have no indication of any connection to terrorism,” he told reporters.
It is not yet known whether the pilot had received clearance from the control tower at the nearest airport, La Guardia. Some media have claimed that a flight ban was in effect in this area at the time due to the lack of visibility.
Witnesses tell
According to several witnesses, the landing of the helicopter shook the skyscraper where the incident occurred and the shock was heard in several other surrounding towers. “We felt the impact,” said Nathan Hutton, who works in the building. “It was 1.35pm. We felt the whole building move. We thought it was an earthquake or something. Then, two minutes later, the alarms went off and security came in: ‘Take all your bags and get out right away ‘. “
He said there was no panic but “a bit of nervousness”, especially since it took thirty minutes to evacuate everyone from the building. “You have to understand: look at the World Trade Center, how many people got stuck trying to get out of the building. They (the evacuees, editor’s note) were thinking the same thing,” said Nathan Hutton, 59.
“After September 11, we are still worried”
The political class reacted to the crash. “It could have been a lot worse. Thank goodness no one else was injured in this absolutely astonishing accident,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Asked by CNN, however, he wanted to be reassuring, declaring: “I want to assure New Yorkers that this is not an act of terror.”
The governor of the State of New York reminded him of the tragedy of September 11, 2001 which struck the city. “My first thought was: is it an accident? Was it intentional? As a New Yorker, after (the attacks) of 9/11, we are still worried,” said Andrew Cuomo.
From Washington, President Donald Trump thanked on Twitter the New York first aid workers who deployed in a few minutes in the building, the firefighters managing to quickly control the fire that broke out during the impact. “The Trump administration is ready to help you if you need anything,” he wrote.
