Helicopter pilot who crashed on NYC skyscraper Monday shouldn't have been in the air, FAA says.
Tim Stelloh and Corky Siemaszko
Brazy said they have questioned the passenger McCormack flew from Westchester County to Manhattan a few hours before the crash who told them it was an uneventful flight. He said McCormack was not in touch with air traffic controllers and that they are still trying to confirm reports the pilot made a radio call before the chopper went down on the rooftop of the building, which did not have a heliport.
They must file a flight plan with air traffic controllers, he said, and they must know how to use a slate of instruments that can tell them what direction the aircraft is flying, for instance, or whether its wings and nose are level.“It’s like putting a blindfold on,” he said. “Turn yourself around three times and see if you know where you are.”
Paul Dudley, manager of the airport where McCormack was apparently returning to, in Linden, New Jersey, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday about the certification question. “To go into that area a helicopter would need the approval of La Guardia tower,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters Monday. “And we need to find out whether that happened or not. We do not know at this point.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Helicopter pilot who crashed on NYC skyscraper shouldn't have been in the air: FAATimothy McCormack did not have the required certificate that would have allowed him to legally fly in poor visibility conditions and rely on instruments.
Read more »
Official: Pilot who crashed helicopter radioed he was lostThe 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&39;t find it, an official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Videos posted on social media soon
Read more »
Pilot killed in chopper crash atop NYC building was a 'true hero,' family saysThe man at the controls of a helicopter that crashed onto the roof of a New York City high-rise on Monday afternoon died putting 'other lives first,' his family said.
Read more »
'I heard a buzz and a bang': Firsthand account of inside the NYC building of crash'Just running away from the building as quickly as we could.' Witnesses give firsthand account of massive confusion inside a Manhattan skyscraper after a helicopter crashed on the building's roof:
Read more »