Call it hard-landing news.
An ABC 7 Eyewitness News helicopter had to make an emergency landing at a Queens high school Thursday morning, FDNY officials said.
According to FDNY sources, the helicopter, known famously as NewsCopter 7, had to make an emergency landing outside Archbishop Molloy High School, located at 83-53 Manton St. in Briarwood, at around 9:38 a.m. on Feb. 20. The school was closed at the time for winter break.
The helicopter made a “hard landing” on Molloy’s baseball field. In addition to FDNY, NYC Emergency Management, NYPD Emergency Services, and the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the scene.
FDNY officials said no injuries have been reported. Right now, it is unclear what led up to the landing or how many people were on board the chopper; a mechanic also rushed to the scene.
As of mid-morning Thursday, the chopper was still awaiting clearance from JFK to take off safely.
amNewYork Metro contacted both ABC 7 News and Molloy for comment and is awaiting a response.
Meanwhile, a similar aviation incident occurred in the Bronx Thursday morning.
Multiple military helicopters landed in a Port Morris field next to the busy Third Avenue thoroughfare at around 8 a.m., just before the news chopper’s landing on Thursday, according to reports.
The Citizen app showed the choppers in place with propellers on and stationery on the field as Third Avenue traffic slowed to rubbernecking speeds.
It is unclear right now if the two aerial incidents are connected in any way.
This was not the first time a news helicopter had to make an emergency landing in NYC.
In 2004, three people aboard a Channel 4 chopper survived a crash-landing on top of an apartment building in Brooklyn, as countless New Yorkers watched the horrifying incident ensure. According to a New York Post article, the pilot reported that the aircraft suffered a tail-rotor failure.
The news crew was covering a shooting that occurred in the neighborhood before the incident occurred.
