Leonardo A109E Chopper Crashes Over New York, One Dead

A Leonardo Augusta A109E helicopter crash-landed over the roof of a 51-story skyscraper in Manhattan, New York city, on Monday afternoon, killing one person.

“The victim is presumed to be the pilot. There is no other casualty,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was quoted as saying by CNBC.

According to a statement by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), “An Augusta A109E helicopter crashed on the roof of 787 Seventh Ave. in New York at around 1.45pm today. Preliminary information is that only the pilot was aboard. FAA air traffic controllers did not handle the flight.”

The lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose Leonardo helicopter is understood to be based in New Jersey and was privately-owned. It had taken off from a heliport on the westside of Manhattan and was not in communication with Air Traffic Control according to the FAA.

The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will determine probable cause of the accident. We will release the aircraft registration after NYC officials release the pilot's name, FAA said.