At Least 2 Dead After Two TV News Choppers Collide, Crash While Covering Car Chase in Phoenix

Fox News ^ | Friday July 27, 2007 | Milwaukee_Guy

[Milwaukee_Guy]

Phoenix — Two helicopters collided in midair and crashed while covering a police pursuit in central Phoenix Friday afternoon, killing at least two people. Both helicopters were news choppers from local television stations.

[rottndog]

So instead of the TV audience getting to see a high speed car crash (let’s face it, that’s why they broadcast this crap), they get to see a helicopter crash...

[Milwaukee_Guy]

http://www.azfamily.com/

[weegee]

Bottom line: the police blotter shouldn’t be the basis of the local news report.

[Milwaukee_Guy]

“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.”

http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/KTVKLNews20070727_helicopter-crash.b85476c7.html

[surely_you_jest]

So, in an effort to continue to sell advertising spots on the local news, four people in the hire of TV news bought the farm while trying to get shots of some cops chasing some miscreant.

I don’t know whether to be saddened, or to laugh.

[discostu]

And the other news choppers following the chase provide the live coverage. There’s something disturbingly hilarious about the whole thing, they all follow these car chases hoping for blood anyway, the reporters actually providing the blood is a punchline you can only get in reality. Prayers for the families, and a stern look to the others in the car chase profession (and the “news” organizations that encourage it), we all knew this was going to happen eventually.

[hunter112]

It was only a matter of time. I’m surprised it didn’t happen during the “Paris Hilton Goes Back to Jail” coverage.

[dfwgator]

As they say, “If it bleeds, it leads.”

[donna]

These are nice people who do traffic and monsoon reporting everyday. This is a tragedy.

[Doe Eyes]

so, in an effort to continue to sell advertising spots on the local news, four people in the hire of TV news bought the farm while trying to get shots of some cops chasing some miscreant.

Probably Liberals.

[Milwaukee_Guy]

Here in Milwaukee one station hovered over my house, for an hour, taping a -High School Football Game-.

I called the station and pointed out what waste of gas it was, and if they didn’t get away from the residential area and hover over an empty field I was calling the FAA.

They were unapologetic but did move the chopper.

[G Larry]

Can’t believe this didn’t happen years ago in L.A.

Car chase sceens seem to happen about once a month out there.

[Mogger]

Everything we do in life has risk, especially mundane things such as walking downstairs, etc.

About the only thing I agreed with Jocylyn (sp?) Elders about was that, "sooner or later your're going to die of something anyhow."

[b4its2late]

It was just a matter of when.

[dfwgator]

Can’t believe this didn’t happen years ago in L.A.

I remember that Francis Gary Powers (of U2 Spy Plane fame) was killed in helicopter crash while doing a traffic report in LA.

[Ace's Dad]

They are supposed to fly at different altitudes, I believe.

[G Larry]

Yes, but that was a single chopper, not 2 colliding, if I recall correctly.

[freepertoo]

I didn’t know that.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

This has gone past Krazy !,,,

What if this had happened over a school or a mall?!?...

[no dems]

The Cable News Networks have been interviewing former copter newsmen/women.

It seems that the rush to be the first to get the story puts many helicopter reporters in peril. These two copters just got too close to each other. Tragic.