(Monday, May 16, 1977, 5:33 p.m. EDT) — A New York Airways Sikorsky S-61L (N619PA) helicopter idling on the heliport atop the Pan Am Building in midtown Manhattan, just after arriving from John F Kennedy Airport, keeled over on a broken landing gear this afternoon, killing four passengers waiting to board, including movie director Michael Findlay.

Parts of a broken blade fell into the streets below, killing one pedestrian.

The accident precipitated the permanent closure of the heliport.