1 Dead as Helicopter crash lands on mid-town building

A pilot died when a helicopter crashed onto the roof of a Midtown Manhattan building in a hard landing on Monday, filling the air with smoke and clogging the city streets with ambulances, according to police and fire officials.

No one else was injured, according to city officials.

The crash sparked a fire which has since been extinguished, the New York Police Department said.

The crash is believed to be an accident and there's no indication of terrorism, a senior official with the Federal Aviation Administration told ABC News.

"People who were in the building said they felt the building shake," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters.



Shauna Farrell was in a meeting on the 36th floor of the building when she said she felt the crash, prompting herself and others on the floor to get out of the building.

"We ran down. I think we were the first floor to evacuate, actually, because we felt it so quickly," Farrell told ABC News.

"There was already FDNY on the scene. We were kind of just running away from the building as quickly as we could," she said.



The crash is believed to be an accident and there's no indication of terrorism, a senior official with the Federal Aviation Administration told ABC News.

"People who were in the building said they felt the building shake," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters.

The crash comes on a rainy New York afternoon; both Newark and LaGuardia Airports are in a ground stop due to visibility and thunderstorms, according to the FAA.

The building is located on 7th Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets, according to the New York City Fire Department.

Though the crash appeared to be accidental, the governor said, "If you're a New Yorker, you have a level of PTSD from 9/11... So as soon as you hear an aircraft hit a building, I think my mind goes where every New Yorker's mind goes."

The president has been briefed on the crash in Manhattan and is monitoring the situation, according to a White House official.

This story is developing. Please check back for more updates.

ABC News' Aaron Katersky, Jeff Cook and Meghan Keneally contributed to this report.

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