It happened inside 111 E. 24th Street just after 9 a.m.
The 33-year-old man was trying to repair the elevator at a construction site when he lost his balance and inadvertently fell from the ninth floor.
He was apparently installing an elevator car at a new, 12-story hotel project and was not tied off to a fall-protection safety line.
The worker was employed by U-Tek Elevator, Inc.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
About 20 complaints had been registered against the building in the past year, but none are currently open.
The Department of Buildings has issued a full stop-work order for the site.
The NYPD and DOB are investigating his death.
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