3 Killed as News Helicopters Crash in Central Phoenix

[rado]

This is sad...Covering a car chase and this tragedy happens.

http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=552779
July 27th, 2007 @ 1:29pm
by KTAR Newsroom, KPHO, Associated Press

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

Andy McKinney, assignment editor at KTVK Channel 3 in Phoenix confirmed that one of their news helicopters was involved in the crash. KTAR News has learned both the pilot and photographer on board have died.

KNXV-TV Channel 15 reported that one of the choppers belonged to the station.

Channel 15 has not reported the status of its crew.

Both helicopters crashed into Steele Indian School Park in Central Phoenix and caught fire.

A woman named Tiffany talked to CBS 5 and sad she was at the park when the choppers collided.

"We were at the park. We can see it. There's lots of fire," she said. "Everybody's out here - big smoke. It looks like they are starting to get a handle on the smoke. We can see the craft but it does look like it's at the far end of Indian School Park. They're keeping us back. Obviously, there is debris throughout the park closest to the Indian School Road side. They aren't about to tape it off."

The helicopters were covering the police pursuit of a work truck. Just before the midair collision, the driver had jumped out of the nearly disabled flatbed pickup and carjacked another truck.

News choppers from other television stations were also in the area.

Capt. Connie Sullivan with CBS 5 described the situation.

"When this pursuit came out, I think 12 was the first one out of the chute and then we left when 3 left. I think 15 - they're just about a block down from us out of a different building. They were already up with 12 when we came into the area and then 10 followed," she said. "I'm real sad to say that I think the pilot from 10, unfortunately, had to witness this which is very traumatic. We heard his distress call and we saw the smoke.

"We're in what's called a Class Bravo Surface Area which requires us to be under a letter of agreement. We're constantly talking to tower, we talk to each other on a discreet helicopter frequency, we're listening to scanners, we're listening to the station and when we're going live, we're listening to the producer so we have five radios talking simultaneously - so yes, we are talking to each other between answering questions ... and then talking back to the station or listening to scanners."

Chopper pilot Scott Clifton with CBS 5 said he's never seen anything like this before.

"I can't say anything has ever hit so close to home," he said.

Clifton said his father, also a pilot, had trained some of the pilots at Channel 3 and said they were a tight-knit group.