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.

[HungarianGypsy]

Apparently the guy had already rammed into a police car as they were trying to block him. He had just stolen another vehicle and had kept from being blocked again when the report of "Helicopter down" came in. There were the two black spots and this sudden stillness on the air.

It was just irony that I even saw this. I use my DVD player as a cd player and was changing stations to put music on for my two year old to take a nap when I saw this chase. I don't watch these things, but for some reason I watched another minute or two. Then the helicopters collided.

[raccoonradio]

yes...this has happened before--WEEI news radio in Boston had a traffic report helicopter hit an apartment bldg (1970s?), killing the pilot and reporter and another traffic report helicopter crashed in NYC (somewhere online there is the anguished final words of the reporter: "hit the water hit the water!") wikipedia: On October 22, 1986, at 4:44 PM, while (Jane) Dornacker was giving one of (WNBC-AM)'s N-Copter traffic reports, the helicopter from which she was reporting plunged into the Hudson River from an altitude of roughly 75 feet. On her final radio broadcast she was giving a report of an accident involving a tractor trailer and a car as well as a car fire. She also stated that the outbound Holland Tunnel was heavy with traffic and that the Lincoln Tunnel was much better with traffic and a car fire. Dornacker was starting her report for incoming New Jersey traffic when the helicopter stalled in mid broadcast. The following is a transcript of the last minutes of her live broadcast in which the crash occurred: Dornacker: It has been cleared out, except heading to New Jersey, the outbound Lincoln Tunnel looks a lot better for you. In New Jersey ... * * Jane Dornacker (panicking): Hit the water! Hit THE WATER! HIT THE WATER!!! * * * Joey Reynolds: Okay, we're going to play some, uh, some music here, I think. * * Joey Reynolds: And find out what's going on with the helicopter, because something happened there.

[Jim Robinson]

Oh, wow. Prayers for their families.

[kcvl]

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/topstories_story_208155909.html

[SauronOfMordor]

Too often a very lengthy chase ends when the runaway driver crashes into some innocent civilian. If it happened to me, I’d sue the city for engaging in the chase. The police could ram the runaway driver themselves but they don’t want the liability.

If it's that important, pass legislation that allows use of deadly force when a car refuses to pull over. Then just have a police helicopter with a heavy machinegun saturate the car with lead. A few of those and the idiots will stop trying to get away

[wolfcreek]

Ditto............we had to know this might happen some day.

[kcvl]

It’s believed there were as many as five people aboard the two copters. News anchors reporting on the crash on KTVK appeared emotionally shaken.

[jmc813]

Prayers for all involved. That said, what is up with you west coast people and fleeing from the cops? I can count the number of car chases I’ve heard about here in Jersey on one hand.

[Lucky9teen]

The two copters were operated by Valley television news stations KNXV-TV (Channel 15), the local ABC affiliate, and KTVK-TV (Channel 3), which is unaffiliated with any network. It's undetermined how many people were on board the craft and whether there are any survivors

This is harsh...I watch KTVK (channel 3) every morning and now I'm wondering if it's the same helicopter guy I see all the time?

[TMSuchman]

There is another thread on this. Eyewitnesses state that the tail rotors collided & one of then were having control problems at the time, So far there was NO mayday called out, over the radio due to the control problems..

Prayers for ALL involved!

[HOTTIEBOY]

The perps should be charged with murder for the deaths of these pilots.

[HungarianGypsy]

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

I agree with this. I have always liked our local helicopter pilots.

[HOTTIEBOY]

Sounds like they were freelance and sold coverage to stations.

[Lucky9teen]

Here's a video from another chopper about it...

Live footage after crash

[HungarianGypsy]

We really don’t have many chases in Phoenix. I can think of maybe two in the last couple of years.

[HungarianGypsy]

Who’s the morning pilot? My first fear was that it was Bruce Hafner, but heard he was on his way over in the back up helicopter.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

“Either stop the vehicle by any means necessary or cut him loose.”

that would be easy, if the will to do so existed.......steel-jacketed high powered large caliber round to the engine from chopper directly overhead at an opportune time and place....not a difficult shot, and extremely small risk to the felon and bystanders as well.

[HOTTIEBOY]

Thats what I say.....

Sometimes I sit there watching the COPS shows screaming at the TV “SHOOT HIM! SHOOT THAT SOB! SHOOT HIM!”