A history of aviation accidents in New York City

Monday afternoon’s fatal helicopter crash at 787 7th Avenue in Manhattan isn’t the first aviation accident New York City has had to deal with. 

  • In May 2019, a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near 30th Street and the Lincoln Tunnel. No-one suffered any serious injuries.
  • In March 2018, a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the East River near the Upper East Side, killing five people. 
  • In 2009, nine people were killed when a tour helicopter and a small airplane collided over the Hudson River.
  • In 2006, New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor were killed when the light aircraft they were flying crashed into a building on the Upper East Side.
  • In 2004, a helicopter belonging to WNBC-TV crashed in Flatbush, Brooklyn. No-one was killed.
  • In 1986, traffic reporter Jane Dornacker was killed when the helicopter she was reporting from suffered mechanical failure mid-broadcast and crashed into the Hudson River. 
  • In 1977, a rotor blade broke off of a helicopter on the roof of the former Pan Am (now MetLife) Building, killing five people
  • In 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the Empire State Building, killing all three members of the flight crew and 11 more people on the ground.