Officer Arvanitis and Officer George Bishop were killed in when the helicopter he and Ptl. Plato B. Arvanitis were manning plunged into the icy waters of the East River near the Manhattan Bridge approximately 2 hours into the flight. Officer Arvanitis and Officer George Bishop were on a traffic surveillance flight. Ptl. Arvanitis; body was recovered shortly after the accident. Ptl. Bishop's body was not found until May 17, 1968.

Part of the plane's wreckage was salvaged just after the crash. The main part, engine, rotor, and cockpit was recovered by the Police Department on March 20, three days before a memorial mass for Ptl. Bishop.

Officer Arvanitis had been with the NYPD for 12 years. He was 38 years old. He leaves his wife Loretta and 2 small children.