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On this Day: Helicopter Accident Atop Manhattan Building Kills Five
May 16, 2008 12:00 PM
On May 16, 1977, the turning blades of a collapsed helicopter sliced into several passengers waiting to board the aircraft atop Manhattan’s Pan Am Building.
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On Friday May 16, 1977, a helicopter accident killed 5 people and wounded 13 at the Pan Am Building—now MetLife’s Manhattan headquarters.
Passengers had paid $25 to ride the 30-seat Sikorsky S-61 chopper from midtown Manhattan to Kennedy International Airport. The flight was to last 10 minutes.
Several passengers had already boarded the aircraft and a dozen stood waiting when a landing-gear attachment malfunctioned. The helicopter began to tilt, its blades slicing into some of the passengers in line.
Parts of the helicopter rotors ricocheted from the roof of the building, soaring nearly two blocks and killing a pedestrian on the corner of 43rd street and Madison Avenue.
Many questioned the safety of skyscraper landing pads in Manhattan. The Pan Am Building had ceased using the heliport in 1968 because it wasn’t profitable, but had resumed helicopter service on February 1, 1977—just three and a half months before the crash.
After the crash, New York Mayor Abraham Beame suspended helicopter service at the building.
Passengers had paid $25 to ride the 30-seat Sikorsky S-61 chopper from midtown Manhattan to Kennedy International Airport. The flight was to last 10 minutes.
Several passengers had already boarded the aircraft and a dozen stood waiting when a landing-gear attachment malfunctioned. The helicopter began to tilt, its blades slicing into some of the passengers in line.
Parts of the helicopter rotors ricocheted from the roof of the building, soaring nearly two blocks and killing a pedestrian on the corner of 43rd street and Madison Avenue.
Many questioned the safety of skyscraper landing pads in Manhattan. The Pan Am Building had ceased using the heliport in 1968 because it wasn’t profitable, but had resumed helicopter service on February 1, 1977—just three and a half months before the crash.
After the crash, New York Mayor Abraham Beame suspended helicopter service at the building.
Headline Links: ‘Whirling Death on a Rooftop’
On May 16, 1977, a passenger service helicopter tipped on its side while passengers were boarding on the Pan Am Building helipad. Four people waiting in line to board were killed, and a woman on the ground died when a rogue blade impaled her on the corner of Madison Avenue and 43rd Street. An additional 13 people were injured. Time magazine reports that the incident was caused by “metal fatigue,” which prevented the landing gear from properly supporting the aircraft.
Source: Time
According to an archived article from The New York Times hosted by Wired New York, Mayor Abraham Beame required the helicopter company to suspend service: “I have ordered the Transportation Administrator to revoke the permit until the Federal Aviation Administration investigates and makes the necessary report.” A witness described the terrible scene: “There was nothing but screaming and metal glass flying.” Another bystander reported, “Everyone threw themselves on the floor. There was blood all over everyone.”
Source: Wired New York
Background: Details about the incident and the Pan Am Building
Official accident details
PlaneCrashInfo.com offers details of the helicopter crash with a chart that includes the precise timing of the incident, the aircraft type, its registration number and a summary of the events.
Source: Plane Crash Info
Airlines.net provides a photo of a New York Airways Sikorsky S-61L helicopter in flight.
Source: Airliners.net
The Pan Am Building
The Pan Am Building, now the MetLife Building, was the site of the crash. It has a complex architectural history that includes many renovations and reconstructions, often provoking controversy for its scale and design. The inclusion and use of the helipad in the 1960s and ’70s is one example of the disputes and drama that have swirled around the skyscraper.
Source: Tom Fletcher’s New York Architecture
Related Topic: The risks of helicopters, and how to survive them
More than three decades after the Pan Am Building crash, helicopters remain one of the most dangerous aircrafts. This analysis by the U.S. Department of Labor examines the injuries that have occurred by those working on or near helicopters, noting that “Over the 8-year period from 1995 to 2002, 459 workers were killed on the job in helicopter-related incidents.”
Source: The U.S. Department of Labor
The BBC offers this video of how the Royal Navy teaches its members to survive when a helicopter crashes at sea.
Source: The BBC
© 2008 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
