Phoenix - Two helicopters crash while covering chase

azfamily.com ^ | July 27, 2007

[HAL9000]

Two television news helicopters covering a police pursuit crashed and burned in a central Phoenix park, killing at least two people. Watch for reports throughout the day. A KTVK T-V anchor tearfully told viewers that one of the helicopters was theirs, and that the pilot and photographer aboard were killed. KNXV-TV said the other helciopter was theirs.

[BobS]

I have a story for you. There was a chase going east on the 101 FWY around Calabasas 2 years ago. No less than 6 helicopters flying around. There is a big noisy Navy helicopter that goes to Point Mugu NAS every day at that time. He dropped down to 50 feet for safety. Almost all the trash in a dumpster was flying around. Lots of big noise and wind and dust.

[Badeye]

Doesn’t surprise me at all.

Its dangerous enough flying a helicopter when you are ‘focused’ from what I’ve been told.

By definition, these pilots are focused at least part of the time on ‘the ground’ and not whats around them in ‘the air’.

There wouldn’t be that kind of pressure on them if they were not ‘live’ in my opinion.

[dragnet2]

Fer sure fer sure...

[Admin Moderator]

Do not post to or about Badeye.

[scootnoodles]

Jerry Foster got negative attention for having pot not for trafficking anything... He should have gotten more positive attention for things he did like save me from an accident at Canyon Lake in 1986. I fell off of 75 foot cliff and the air evacuation team said it was too dangerous to get me and they wanted to get a rope team to get me out on foot. Jerry heard that I was in critical condition and told them that he could and would fly his helicopter down to me and retrieve me for them. I think that I may not be alive today if not for the assistance of Jerry Foster. A dang good pilot for me and for our country back in Vietnam!

[HungarianGypsy]

I wasn’t the one who brought up his pot conviction. I just said he started to annoy me before that because he starting getting cranky in the ‘90s. Yes, he was a great pilot. When I was a kid all the kids thought he was the coolest.

[leadpenny]

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20070802X01089&key=1

Very long for a preliminary report.

[Sailover]

For what it’s worth, Jerry Foster was the first news copter pilot in the country. He started out flying a Hughes 269 holding a film camera while flying. No WesCams or reporters in those days. He may have taken some chances over the years, but he saved people too. There are several cases when DPS wouldn't take a mission because it was too risky, but Jerry flew right in and did what had to be done. Sure, he effed up later with drugs, but there are people alive today because he took the risks. The litigious world we live in makes such flying nearly unheard of now. Cowboys may be antiques, but when you need something outside the box done, they are often the only ones who can and will do it.