THE pilot who died when his helicopter crashed into the roof of a New York City skyscraper was not authorised to fly in limited visibility.

The Federal Aviation Administration says Tim McCormack was only certified to fly under regulations known as visual flight rules, which require generally good weather and clear conditions.

The Herald:

An air safety investigator said on Tuesday that an earlier passenger in the helicopter said nothing seemed out of the ordinary during the previous flight.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Doug Brazy says the short flight had taken the passenger from Westchester County to a Manhattan heliport.

Then the pilot left by himself on a planned flight to Linden, New Jersey, after waiting and reviewing the weather.

He crashed shortly after during a rainstorm.