A pilot has been killed in a helicopter crash on a Manhattan skyscraper, New York Fire Department said.

The Fire Department said the helicopter appeared to have crash-landed on top of the 750ft fall AXA Equitable building, not far from Rockefeller Centre and Times Square.

Firefighters climbed to the top of the structure, on 7th avenue in the city's Midtown, while police cleared an area below.

One onlooker told CNN television that there was "pandemonium" at the scene. 

Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters that a fire began when the aircraft hit but is under control. He said it shook the building, but there were no reports of injuries in the tower. It was not immediately known what type of helicopter was involved.

Mr Trump said in a tweet that he had been briefed on the crash, and first responders on the scene did a “phenomenal job”.

Authorities said the helicopter took off from a pad on the East River and was in the air for about 11 minutes before it crashed.

Police Commissioner James O’Neill said it may have been heading to its home airport in Linden, New Jersey.