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Helicopter pilot identified as investigation into deadly NYC rooftop crash continues

Click to play video: 'Pilot dead after helicopter crashes onto Manhattan building: de Blasio'
Pilot dead after helicopter crashes onto Manhattan building: de Blasio
WATCH: Pilot dead after helicopter crashes onto Manhattan building – Jun 10, 2019

NEW YORK — Investigators are working to determine what caused a helicopter to crash into the roof of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper, killing the pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board scheduled a briefing for Tuesday afternoon.

The crash on Monday killed the Tim McCormack, the former fire chief in Clinton Corners, New York, who was an experienced pilot.

The crash shook the 750-foot (229-metre) AXA Equitable building, sparked a fire and forced office workers to flee.

It briefly triggered memories of 9-11 and fears of a terrorist attack, but authorities said there is no indication the crash was a deliberate act. The crash also led to renewed calls for banning helicopter flights over Manhattan.

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The helicopter was flying in a downpour of rain with low cloud cover and in tightly controlled airspace.

WATCH: No indication helicopter crash was an act of terror, Bill de Blasio says

Click to play video: 'Bill de Blasio: No indication helicopter crash was an act of terror'
Bill de Blasio: No indication helicopter crash was an act of terror

A flight restriction in effect since President Donald Trump took office bans aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet (914 metres) within a 1-mile (1.6-kilometre) radius of Trump Tower, which is less than a half-mile (0.8 kilometres) from the crash site.

Police Commissioner James O’Neill said previously that the chopper may have been returning to its home airport in Linden, New Jersey, where director Paul Dudley described McCormack as “a highly seasoned” and “very well-regarded” pilot.

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