News Helicopter Collision - Phoenix, Arizona
N 33° 29.799 W 112° 04.246
12S E 400535 N 3706860
July 27, 2007, a police chase ends with a midair helicopter crash and 4 lives lost.
Waymark Code: WMBFKH
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 05/15/2011
Views: 21
At 12:46 pm, KNXV-TV 15 helicopter (local ABC affiliate) collided with KTVK (channel 3 independent station) helicopter. From footage compiled later, it appears that Channel 3 helicopter was stationary and Channel 15 struck it from behind. Four men died that day. The pilots and cameramen in both helicopters, KTVK pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox; and pilot Craig Smith and photographer Rick Krolak of KNXV. By a miracle, no one on the ground was killed, even though debris from the helicopters were widely dispersed. For instance, a rotor from one landed in the parking lot of an office building nearby, at the end of lunch hour.
This was the first instance of a midair news helicopter collision. It sent shock waves into the community and the media. The cause of the accident was ruled "pilot error." Guidelines for covering news events changed following this accident.
From Wikipedia:
As reported by the Associated Press, the KNXV helicopter was broadcasting live at the time of the collision, and this footage subsequently circulated on media-sharing websites such as YouTube. As the helicopter's camera was pointed at the ground, viewers did not see the other aircraft. KNXV pilot-reporter Craig Smith and anchor Rebecca Thomas were describing events live when Smith was heard to utter "Oh, geez!" as the image broke up and violent crashing noises were heard. The station immediately cut away to the studio news anchor, although screaming can be heard in the background before the link is cut off. In footage from the KTVK helicopter, viewers heard the pilot talking about the scene and then the picture just went black. There was no indication of a problem at all. Three other news helicopters from other stations (KSAZ, KPNX and KPHO) were in the area and began reporting on the crash within seconds of it occurring. One photograph is known to exist, taken a moment after the collision and showing both helicopters plunging towards the ground. It was taken by a local Spanish-language newspaper, La Voz. The image was circulated by the AP and shown on major media such as CNN.
KSAZ "SkyFox10" reporter-pilot Don Hooper witnessed the mid-air collision. In unedited video footage, Hooper becomes very shaken and upset as he reports that "Channel 15 and Channel 3 just had a mid-air collision. They are in a park." The video also contains audio of Hooper calling the tower at nearby Sky Harbor airport on his aircraft's FAA radio reporting the collision. Hooper then talks on a discreet frequency to another news helicopter belonging to KPNX saying he is OK, but two other helicopters just crashed. Hooper then says "I think it was Scott" referring to KTVK pilot Scott Bowerbank.Only one photo is known to exist of the helicopters falling to the ground. Due to copyright issues, I will only post the link and not the photo. You can see the photo at the bottom of
this link.