History of Flight
On June 10, 2019, at approximately 1340 Eastern Daylight Time, an Agusta A109E helicopter, registration N200BK, was destroyed when it struck a 54-story building at 787 7th Avenue in New York, New York. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 corporate flight.
The flight had departed from East 34th Street Heliport (6N5) about 1330, destined for Linden Airport (LDJ) in Linden, New Jersey. Earlier that day, the pilot and a pilot-rated passenger departed Bel-Aire Farms Heliport (NY46) in Amenia, New York, at about 1030. After a brief stop for fuel at Hudson Valley Regional Airport (POU), they arrived at 6N5 about 1130. The pilot-rated passenger, who was at the controls during landing, then left the heliport by car, while the pilot remained at the heliport for about two hours, checking weather on his tablet. Before departing, he mentioned to staff that he saw a “twenty-minute window to make it out.” The helicopter lifted off from 6N5 about 1332.
ADS-B data showed the helicopter initially flew south over the East River before turning north. About 5-7 minutes after departure, the pilot contacted the FBO requesting to return to the heliport and was advised to land on pad No. 4. He then radioed that he “did not know where he was.” The helicopter flew erratically over the East River, changing course and altitude several times. After a 270° turn that approached 6N5 from the west, about 500 ft west of the heliport at 600-700 ft msl, it reversed course and flew erratically over Manhattan. The last ADS-B position was about 0.1 nm southeast of the building at about 1,570 ft msl. The building roof where the helicopter came to rest was about 765 ft msl, with the overall building height about 790 ft msl. A witness video showed the helicopter descending rapidly from clouds in a nose-down attitude, then transitioning to level pitch before climbing back into the overcast ceiling.
Personnel and Aircraft Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter rating (issued September 24, 2004) and a flight instructor certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter rating (issued June 20, 2018). He did not hold an instrument rating. His most recent second-class medical certificate was issued May 15, 2019, with 2,805 total flight hours reported. He had been employed by the operating company for about five years.
The twin-engine, 7-seat helicopter (manufactured 2000) was equipped with two 549-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206C engines. Its most recent inspection (50-hour/30-day) was completed May 21, 2019, at 3,939 total flight hours. Both engines had about 570 hours since overhaul.
Meteorological Conditions
At 1351, a weather station in Central Park (about 1 mile northeast of the accident site) reported an overcast ceiling at 500 ft AGL, visibility 1.25 statute miles in rain and mist, temperature 18°C, dew point 17°C, wind from 070° at 8 knots. The pilot had accessed weather information via a commercial service while on the ground at 6N5, including observations for Downtown Manhattan/Wall St Heliport (JRB) and Linden Airport (LDJ). Around the time of his inquiries, conditions at JRB varied: visibility 2.5 sm with overcast 800 ft AGL at 1256, improving to 4 sm and 1,000 ft at 1314, then dropping to 1.75 sm in mist after 1324. For LDJ, the 1315 observation showed visibility 2.5 sm and overcast 600 ft AGL.
Wreckage and Impact
All major components were present on the rooftop, confined to an area about 100 ft long by 20 ft wide, oriented on a heading of approximately 300° magnetic. Small debris was recovered from the 50th floor and street level. The helicopter was severely fragmented and partially consumed by a post-impact fire. Main rotor blades were fragmented with leading edge damage; two remained attached to the hub, two separated. The main rotor gearbox was impact damaged and could not be turned. Tail rotor blades, hub, and gearbox were largely intact; one blade had a leading edge gouge, the other tip was fracture-separated with thermal damage. The tail rotor driveshaft was fractured in several locations; a section remained attached and rotated freely. Flight control continuity could not be established due to impact damage and fragmentation. All three landing gear actuators were in the down position.
The left engine was broken into two sections at the reduction gearbox; the compressor impeller rotated freely but had blade damage. The power turbine shaft was fractured with twisting and scoring. The fuel management module was damaged, with its control lever in the “flight” position. The right engine was mostly intact with thermal damage; the compressor impeller would not rotate and had ingested debris downstream. The driveshaft between the right engine and main gearbox was fracture-separated in a twisted pattern. The fuel management module was damaged, with control in the “flight” position. The throttle quadrant was loose; both levers were found in the “MAX” position, but their position at impact could not be confirmed. Attitude-direction indicators showed indications of about 50-80° nose down and 80-120° left roll.
Additional Information
The pilot’s girlfriend stated that the pilot was concerned about weather for the flights on the day before and the day of the accident. While preparing the helicopter at Amenia, he told his brother he was nervous due to poor weather; his brother suggested not flying, but the pilot said “[the pilot-rated passenger] is making me fly.” During a telephone conversation at 6N5 around 1200, the pilot told his girlfriend he had a “window” to reposition but also said he “shouldn’t be flying, but had to…” Staff at the 6N5 FBO noted that fees for the helicopter to remain at 6N5 started at $200 per hour, with an overnight fee of $250 plus a landing fee.