On this day in 1977, a helicopter (N619PA) operated by New York Airways landed at the heliport atop the Pan Am building in New York City.
The pilot and flight attendant were both veterans. The first officer had been with the company a little over a month.
During the turn (offloading arriving passengers and loading departing ones), the crew kept the rotors going. Given the short turn times, this wasn’t unusual.
2 minutes after landing, the right landing gear collapsed, causing the helicopter to roll over on it’s side. The spinning blades hit the concrete, and 4 passengers waiting to board were killed. The blade broke in two, with one piece falling to the street, killing a pedestrian. Other parts were sprayed up to four blocks away.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the crew acted properly, with the root cause being the failure of a gear assembly fitting.
