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A pilot has died after a helicopter crash landed into a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan and burst into flames, sparking the evacuation of several nearby buildings.

Emergency crews responded to the incident at 787 Seventh Ave just before 2pm Monday as smoke was seen billowing from the roof of the 54-story structure.

The New York Fire Department tweeted that firefighters have extinguished the blaze that was raging on top of the building and were working to stop fuel leaking from the wrecked aircraft.  

The deceased pilot has not been named, and authorities do not believe anyone else was on board. No additional injuries have been reported. 

Officials say the Agusta A109E helicopter was privately-owned and had taken off from the 34th Street heliport 11 minutes before it crashed. 

Video recorded by a witness showed the aircraft appearing to take a nose dive through rainy skies just before it went down in Manhattan. A source told CBS2 that the pilot reported he was in trouble shortly before the crash.  

An FDNY source told DailyMail.com: 'The chopper is obliterated. There is heavy fire damage and wreckage from the aircraft is strewn across [the roof].' 

The department later shared chilling images of the charred wreckage.  

A helicopter crash landed into a building in Midtown Manhattan just before 2pm Monday, killing the pilot and causing a large evacuation. Firefighters are seen standing in the charred wreckage of the crash after the flames were contained

The damage caused by the aircraft's impact was reportedly limited to the roof of the building, which immediately caught fire

A witness recorded footage of the aircraft appearing to take a nosedive moments before it went down

 Smoke was seen billowing from the roof of the 54-story building at 787 Seventh Avenue minutes after the chopper struck

Emergency crews flocked to the scene and began evacuating the building the plane hit as well as several structures nearby 

Hundreds of people were seen evacuating buildings in the vicinity of the crash site as a precaution 

The helicopter reportedly took off from the 34th Street heliport 11 minutes before it crashed into the skyscraper

Officials revealed what limited details are known about the crash during a press conference at 3.50pm. 

They said they believe they have identified the pilot but did not disclose details.  

Investigators are still working to determine where the helicopter was headed, speculating that it may have been going to its home airport in New Jersey. 

To go into the airspace where the crash occurred, the pilot would have needed approval from La Guardia tower. Authorities are looking into whether that approval was given. 

A flight restriction in effect since President Donald Trump took office bans aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet within a one-mile radius of Trump Tower, which is just a few blocks from the crash site. 

The investigation is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board.  

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed reporters at the press conference, saying: 'There is no indication at this time that this was an act of terror and there is no ongoing threat to New York City based on the information we have right now. There is no danger of any kind to New Yorkers at this point.

'We do not know the cause of this incident. There were no other injuries that we know of at this point and time.'

He added: 'This could've been a much worse incident and thank God no one else was injured in this absolutely shocking incident.' 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was on the scene shortly after the crash and said that no one in the building was hurt.

'There was a helicopter that made a forced landing or an emergency landing on the roof of the building for one reason or the other,' he said. 

'People in the building said they felt the building shake. It was hard landing.'

Cuomo said there is no indication the crash was intentional.  

'If you are a New Yorker you have a level of PTSD from 9/11,' Cuomo said. 'As soon as you hear an aircraft hit a building, my mind goes where the mind of every New Yorker goes.'  

The map above shows the location of the crash in relation to New York City's busiest tourist attractions

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is pictured arriving on the scene shortly after the crash. 'This could've been a much worse incident and thank God no one else was injured in this absolutely shocking incident,' De Blasio said at a press conference

De Blasio and other city officials addressed reporters at a rainy press conference just before 4pm 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is pictured near the scene of the crash. He said there is no indication that it was intentional or terrorism-related

The FDNY tweeted that a fire on top of the building was extinguished and that a fuel leak from the chopper is under control

Witnesses reported hearing a loud boom before flames erupted from the roof of the building. 

Shauna Farrell was in a meeting on the 36th floor when she felt the impact, which sent her and her colleagues running for the exits.  

'We ran down. I think we were the first floor to evacuate, actually, because we felt it so quickly,' Farrell told ABC News.

'There was already FDNY on the scene. We were kind of just running away from the building as quickly as we could.' 

Laura Esquival, a hostess at the Ruth's Chris Steak House across the street from the crash site, told CNBC: 'I saw people running out. They were escorting everyone out.' 

A witness reported hearing a loud boom before flames erupted from the roof of the building

First responders blocked off the surrounding area shortly after the crash was reported

The Federal Aviation Administration issued the following statement on Twitter: 'We are gathering information about an accident involving a helicopter that crashed into a building in Midtown Manhattan.' 

The agency said they will be releasing more details throughout the day as the investigation continues.

President Trump tweeted that he had been briefed on the situation and praised first responders for their efforts to control the situation. 

'THANK YOU for all you do 24/7/365! The Trump Administration stands ready should you need anything at all,' he wrote.  

There does not appear to have been any significant damage to the structure of the 750-foot-tall building, which houses the AXA Equitable Center. Other tenants include BNP Paribas, Stifel, New Mountain Capital, Sidley Austin LLP, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, UBS, and Citigroup.

The building is also home to the critically-acclaimed French restaurant La Bernardin, which announced that it will not be open to night due to the today's crash. 

Pedro Rodriguez, a pastry line cook at Le Bernardin, said workers got an announcement telling everyone to exit, and he later heard from people around him that there was a fire on the roof. 

President Trump tweeted that he had been briefed on the crash and praised first responders for their efforts

The evacuation wasn't chaotic, Rodriguez said, but he was rattled because he immediately thought of the September 11 attacks.

'It's scary when something like this happens,' he said.

Alex Jacobs was working on the seventh floor when he alarm bells and an evacuation announcement went off.  He and his coworkers, who hadn't heard or felt an impact, took the stairs to a fire exit.  

'It's really unfortunate. I just hope everyone's okay,' he said.

New York City has a history of both minor and major helicopter wrecks and crash landings.

Last month, a helicopter crash landed in the Hudson River near a busy Manhattan heliport. The pilot escaped mostly unscathed.

Five people died when a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the East River last year. Three people died in another crash into the same river in 2011. Nine people died in a collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane in 2009, not far from the scene of Monday's mishap.  

The deceased pilot is believed to be the only victim of the collision. Medical personnel are pictured at the scene

Firefighters are seen awaiting orders as the situation on the roof of the building was assessed after the crash

Onlookers documented the chaotic scene despite the rainy conditions, sharing countless photos and videos on social media