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2019 New York City helicopter crash

2010s in Manhattan2019 in New York CityAccidents and incidents involving helicoptersAgustaWestland aircraftAviation accidents and incidents in New York City
Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 2019AxaHigh-rise firesJune 2019 events in the United StatesSeventh Avenue (Manhattan)Use American English from June 2019Use mdy dates from June 2019
A109E Power RIAT 2013 (12347891265)
A109E Power RIAT 2013 (12347891265)

On June 10, 2019, an Agusta A109E Power crashed onto the Axa Equitable Center on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, which sparked a fire on the top of the building. The helicopter involved in the accident, N200BK, was destroyed. The only occupant, the pilot, Tim McCormack, died in the crash. The aircraft was owned by Italian American businessman Daniele Bodini at the time of the crash.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, 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 preliminary NTSB report states that day instrument meteorological conditions prevailed (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.After the accident, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio briefed the press, confirming a lack of further victims or apparent terroristic motive. The National Transportation Safety Board sent agents to investigate the accident. The accident prompted Mayor de Blasio to call for a ban on non-emergency helicopters flying over Manhattan. 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.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article 2019 New York City helicopter crash (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

2019 New York City helicopter crash
7th Avenue, New York Manhattan

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Latitude Longitude
N 40.761882 ° E -73.982181 °
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AXA Equitable Center

7th Avenue 787
10019 New York, Manhattan
New York, United States
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A109E Power RIAT 2013 (12347891265)
A109E Power RIAT 2013 (12347891265)
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Axa Equitable Center
Axa Equitable Center

Axa Equitable Center (originally the Equitable Tower or Equitable Center West) is an office skyscraper at 787 Seventh Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1986 and designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, the building measures 752 feet (229 m) tall with 54 stories. Equitable Center West was developed by the Equitable Life Assurance Society (later renamed Equitable Holdings, part of Axa) adjacent to Equitable's existing skyscraper at 1285 Avenue of the Americas. The facade is clad in granite, applied in a two-tone pattern of white horizontal and red vertical bands. The building has three setbacks, as well as a penthouse at the top with arched windows. Equitable acquired an extensive collection of artwork to display in the building's public spaces. There is a public galleria from 51st to 52nd Street, which forms part of 6½ Avenue, as well as an arched entrance atrium from Seventh Avenue. The complex also includes an underground concourse, several restaurants, and a corporate auditorium. The building was proposed in the early 1980s and, after the site was acquired, Equitable's board approved the plans for the tower in 1983. When the tower opened, the company's corporate offices occupied about a third of the space, and the ground story had commercial concerns such as the Le Bernardin restaurant and a branch of the Whitney Museum. Equitable only used the tower as its headquarters until the late 1990s, and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) acquired Axa Equitable Center in 2016.