Helicopter Hits Former AXA Equitable Headquarters in New York City

This New York Fire Department rescue team responded today to the helicopter crash at the AXA Equitable Center building. (Photo: David Handschuh/ALM)

A helicopter crashed into the roof of the AXA Equitable Center building in New York City around 1:45 p.m. today, according to officials at the New York City Fire Department.

The crash killed the pilot of the helicopter and caused a fire, officials said around 2:45 p.m.

Officials reported that firefighters had extinguished the fire but were still dealing with fuel leaking from the helicopter.

The AXA Equitable Center is at 787 Seventh Ave. in Manhattan, between 51st and 52nd streets.

Officials have evacuated the AXA Equitable Center building, and they temporarily blocked traffic on Seventh Avenue from 42nd Street to 57th Street, to give firefighters and other emergency response teams room to operate.

The AXA Equitable Center Building

The company now known as AXA Equitable built the 51-story building at 787 Seventh Ave. in 1985.

At that time, AXA Equitable was an arm of AXA S.A. of Paris, and it went by the name AXA Financial. The building on Seventh Avenue was originally known as the Equitable Tower. The tower was known for being the home of the Equitable Center art complex.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) bought the building from AXA for $1.9 billion in 2016.

AXA Equitable now has its headquarters offices a few blocks away from the AXA Equitable Center, at 1290 Avenue of the Americas.

Two company employees work in an AXA Equitable video studio in the AXA Equitable Center, and those employees are fine, according to an AXA Equitable spokesman.

A number of people who work in the building have reported on Twitter that they felt the building shake when the helicopter hit it.

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