A helicopter has crashed onto the fog-shrouded roof of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper, killing at least one person and unnerving a city still scarred by memories of September 11.
The crash happened shortly before 2 pm local time on a rainy, grey Monday atop the 230m AXA Equitable Center, a few blocks north of Times Square.
Dozens of emergency vehicles swarmed the area, shutting down traffic and evacuating offices in one of the city's busiest areas.
The person killed was presumed to be the pilot, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference. No injuries, either to people in the building or on the ground, have been reported.
"The helicopter is pretty obliterated at this point. It was obviously a very hard hit," de Blasio said.
He said the cause was unknown but there was no indication the crash was an act of terrorism. It was not clear if limited visibility was a contributing factor.
Nicolas Estevez was across the street when a 30cm piece of metal that appeared to be from the helicopter landed just metres away on the footpath.
The crash, which sent people streaming out of the building within seconds, reminded him of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Mr Estevez said.
"I saw the explosion and the smoke coming out," he said.
.@NYGovCuomo: “The preliminary information is that there was a helicopter that made a forced landing, emergency landing or landed on the roof of the building.” https://t.co/koKWDnOfy8 pic.twitter.com/OjPjZXsp8H
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 10, 2019
The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft was an Agusta A109E, a twin-engine, lightweight helicopter.
The pilot was the only person aboard and FAA air traffic controllers did not handle the flight.
The chopper took off from a heliport on Manhattan's east side and crash-landed 11 minutes later, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished by responding firefighters, officials said.
The site is about a kilometre from Trump Tower, where US President Donald Trump maintains an apartment. The area has been under a temporary flight restriction since his election in 2016.
"There was no shouting but a little nervousness, with the occasional, 'C'mon, move!" Mr Hutton said. 87 7th ave, #midtown NYC. We’re 1 block south. 20 mins ago there was a loud sound like a too-low #helicopter & I looked up and saw sheet of flame on roof and then smoke. News reports saying helicopter/small plane crash onto roof which would be consistent with what I heard/saw. pic.twitter.com/swY3ksLskH
The building the helicopter crashed in to, and many others nearby, were evacuated.
Nathan Hutton, who works in information technology for the French bank BNP Paribas on the 29th floor, said the building shook when the helicopter slammed into the roof.
"It felt like you were just standing there, and someone takes their hand and just shoves you," he said. "You felt it through the whole building."
Mr Trump called New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was at the scene soon after the crash, to offer assistance if needed.
- with AFP
