Pilot killed in NY helicopter crash radioed for help
Print Edition
The pilot killed when his helicopter hit the roof of a New York City skyscraper in rain and fog radioed that he was lost and trying to get back to the heliport but couldn鈥檛 find it, an official said on Tuesday.
The radio calls are the clearest evidence yet that foul weather might have played a role in Monday鈥檚 crash. The person wasn鈥檛 authorized to discuss the radio calls publicly because of the ongoing federal safety investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Videos on social media soon after the crash showed a helicopter that investigators believe is the doomed chopper pausing and hovering south of the heliport, then turning and making an erratic flight back north through rain and clouds.
The 58-year-old pilot Tim McCormack was not authorized to fly in limited visibility, raising questions about why he took off in the first place.
McCormack was only licensed to fly under regulations known as visual flight rules, which require generally good weather and clear conditions, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The rules demand at least 4.8 kilometers of visibility and that aircraft steer clear of clouds for daytime flights. The visibility at the time of Monday鈥檚 crash was about 2 kilometers at nearby Central Park, with low clouds blanketing the skyline.
The crash in the tightly controlled airspace of midtown Manhattan shook the 229 meter AXA Equitable building, obliterated the Agusta A109E helicopter, sparked a fire and forced office workers to flee.
The crash, the second in Manhattan in a month, also led to renewed calls for restricting helicopter flights over the city.
Carolyn Maloney, who represents the area where McCormack crashed, said it鈥檚 鈥減ast time鈥 for the FAA to ban 鈥渦nnecessary helicopters鈥 from the city鈥檚 skies.
Fellow Democrat representative Nydia Velazquez said she wants tourist flights grounded. Last year, five passengers were killed when a sightseeing helicopter plunged into the East River.
At a National Transportation Safety Board briefing on Tuesday, investigator Doug Brazy said that McCormack had arrived at a heliport on New York City鈥檚 East River after a trip carrying one passenger from nearby Westchester County.
The passenger told investigators there was nothing out of the ordinary about the 15-minute flight, Brazy said.
McCormack waited at the heliport for about two hours and reviewed the weather before taking off on what was supposed to be a trip to the helicopter鈥檚 home airport in Linden, New Jersey, Brazy said.
That trip would have taken the helicopter south, over the city鈥檚 harbor and past the Statue of Liberty.
The helicopter hit the building about 11 minutes after taking off in an area where flights aren鈥檛 supposed to take place.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
