Dept. of Buildings releases investigation report into 2023 Manhattan tower crane collapse

Manhattan, NY Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo released the city’s investigation report into a tower crane collapse that occurred at 550 10^th Ave., in Midtown on July 26, 2023. This comprehensive investigatory report is the result of a multi-year effort to determine how this incident occurred, conducted in coordination with agency partners at the NYC Department of Investigation and a team of engineering subject matter experts led by consulting firm Gilsanz Murray Steficek (GMS). The report is being made available to the public in the interest of promoting greater transparency for the construction industry and for all New Yorkers. DOB is now mandating new fire safety requirements for tower cranes that have been implemented citywide in response to findings made during the course of this investigation.

“Today, we take an important step to strengthen safety for all New Yorkers and those who work on our construction sites,” said deputy mayor for operations Jeff Roth. “The crane collapse at 550 10^th Ave. is a stark reminder of the need for constant vigilance and improvement in our safety standards. This investigation — conducted in partnership with the NYC Department of Investigation and leading engineering experts — offers critical lessons to help prevent future incidents and informs new fire safety requirements for tower cranes citywide. It’s part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and the well-being of our communities.”

“Thanks to our rigorous enforcement of the city’s safety codes, and a commitment to routinely reevaluating those regulations to look for improvements, construction injuries and incidents are the lowest they have been in over a decade,” said commissioner Oddo.

 “This crane collapse in the heart of midtown Manhattan was truly a singular nightmare scenario for the construction industry, and it is a miracle that no one was seriously hurt. With the efforts of our investigation team, we now know why this incident happened, and  we have already implemented new changes to help prevent it from happening again.”

“The in-depth investigation leading to today’s Report provides critical transparency with respect to the causes of the significant crane fire and collapse in Midtown Manhattan in 2023,” said DOI commissioner Jocelyn Strauber. “The investigation’s findings already have resulted in improved crane safety protocols to better protect operators and the public.  Thankfully, no one was seriously injured in the fire and the collapse, but these events highlight the importance of compliance with robust safety protocols.  DOI will continue to work in partnership with DOB to enhance construction safety in New York City.”

On the morning of July 26, 2023, construction crews at the new 45-story tower project construction site were utilizing a Favelle Favco diesel-powered tower crane to assist with concrete placement operations. The tower crane was owned by New York Crane & Equipment Corp and was being leased and operated by Cross Country Construction LLC for the job. While lifting a load of 14,000 pounds of concrete, a fire broke out on the deck of the tower crane, 500 ft. up in the air. The fire resulted in the collapse of the crane’s 165 ft. long boom, which injured several construction workers on the site and heavily damaged the façade of the neighboring building at 555 10^th Ave.

The investigation found that the inciting fire that led to the crane collapse was likely caused by the failure of a hydraulic fluid hose connection near the engine compartment which became disconnected from a crimp fitting. This disconnected hose sent out a flammable mist of hydraulic fuel oil which came into contact with a hot surface on the crane deck, sparking the fire which quickly grew in size and temperature, reaching as high as 900 degrees Celsius. After noticing the fire, the crane operator was able to reach the on-deck fire extinguisher and attempted to put out the fire on their own. These efforts proved unsuccessful, and the operator safely climbed down from the crane deck to escape the flames. The fire continued to burn, critically damaging the luffing rope holding up the boom. When the wire rope gave way, the boom collapsed.

Prior to the collapse, as the fire continued to burn, construction crews at the scene took immediate steps to close down the surrounding streets to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. When the boom fell, the street below was empty, and no injuries reported to DOB associated with the incident were deemed major. While thankfully no one was seriously injured in this incident, the collapse did result in significant damage to the neighboring building, and major disruption of a main thoroughfare in the heart of New York City.

After the collapse, DOB issued a total of four violations. Three violations were issued to the general contractor for the tower project, Monadnock Construction Inc., and to the crane equipment user, Cross Country Construction LLC, for their failure to safeguard the construction site, failure to maintain adequate housekeeping, and failure to implement adequate safety measures. The crane equipment user, Cross Country Construction LLC, was issued a violation for inadequate safety measures. 

The investigation into this incident included a review of other tower crane fires in other parts of the globe. During this review of past incidents, investigators found that the fire and collapse that occurred at 550 10^th Ave. was strikingly similar to two incidents that occurred in Australia, when a tower crane from the same manufacturer collapsed in Sydney in 2012, and a second tower crane collapsed in Melbourne in 2016.  Following these two incidents, crane manufacturer Favelle Favco issued an equipment bulletin to their customers that included a series of recommended preventative measures that if implemented could help reduce the chance of similar fires. It is not uncommon for construction equipment manufacturers to issue technical bulletins for their customers. 

Among other items, the bulletin recommended that crane owners consider voluntarily implementing an enhanced leak inspection protocol for their equipment, install a fire suppression and fire detection systems in the engine compartment area, and keep additional fire extinguishers near the crane cab. The investigation found that none of the recommendations in the manufacture’s Bulletin had been implemented at 550 10^th Ave.

In the interest of public safety and preventing a similar tower crane incident from occurring in our city, DOB has mandated that the recommendations in the Favelle Favco technical bulletin be the new standard for diesel-powered tower cranes operating in the five boroughs. Working closely with our partners in the crane industry, all diesel-powered tower cranes operating in the city are now required to be equipped with the fire suppression and fire detection systems recommended in the bulletin. Earlier this year DOB also implemented new registration requirements and experience qualifications for lift directors, a construction professional who must be on site to perform a supervisory role whenever the crane is being moved, raised, lowered, taken out of service, or used for lifting operations.

Since the 2023 collapse, DOB has also significantly tightened regulations for smaller hoisting devices on building construction projects such as knuckle boom trucks, minicranes, and telehandlers. In November 2024, the agency created a new license class specifically for the operators of these smaller hoisting machines. Previously these relatively smaller lifting devices could be legally operated for delivery purposes by anyone, regardless of their experience using them. Now any hoisting device rated for 2,000 pounds or more must be operated by a department-licensed professional, that has over 3,000 hours of experience using these machines, as well as appropriate industry certifications.

The department would like to thank the investigation team which included DOB staff, DOI staff, Gilsanz Murray Steficek (GMS), Crane Tech Solutions, TJ Russo Consultants, and the Edgett Williams Consulting Group for their work on this report, and for providing a list of additional recommendations for further safety improvements that should be considered by the City and industry professionals. DOB is committed to working with our partners in the City Council and the crane industry to continue looking into ways to improve crane safety in our city.