Midair News Helicopter Collision.- Phoenix, Arizona
N 33° 29.804 W 112° 04.235
12S E 400552 N 3706869
News that shocked my city.
Waymark Code: WMBFKE
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 05/15/2011
Views: 29
July 27, 2007, a suspect led police on a chase around midtown Phoenix. Five news helicopters were covering the story. Some were on air at the time. They were all using Sharp Echo, a system that required them to use one frequency, to communicate changes in position or intentions.
Despite this, 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. The helicopters were both AS-350 AStar.
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.
The cause of the mid-air collision was investigated by both the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB stated ...the probable cause of this accident was both pilots' failure to see and avoid the other helicopter. Contributing to this failure was the pilots' responsibility to perform reporting and visual tracking duties to support their station's ENG operation. Contributing to the accident was the lack of formal procedures for Phoenix-area ENG pilots to follow regarding the conduct of these operations.From National Press Photographers Association article:
October 2007, the National Press Photographers Association came out as being opposed to having news helicopter pilots reporting live while flying the craft, citing industry safety standards and experts who say the practice puts the aircraft, crew, passengers, and those on the ground beneath them at a heightened and unnecessary risk.
In addition to raising questions about the safety and sensibility of having helicopter pilots do both flying and reporting duties simultaneously, the crash brought attention to the absence of rules and regulations governing the separation of aircraft in such circumstances.
In the Phoenix market on Channel 12 has a news helicopter pilot whose sole duties are flying the aircraft.
Since the crash, Channel 3 says that its helicopters now fly with a second pilot, who also serves as an observer.
Other safety precautions taken by news helicopter crews in Phoenix after the crash include painting a highly-visible stripe pattern on the helicopters' rotors (so they can be seen more clearly from above), and bright anti-collision strobe lights. In safety meetings held after the crash, Phoenix market pilots also decided they would communicate with each other more often, reporting their positions, and hold frequent pilot meetings to discuss safety issues.The photo at the end of this link is the photo of the helicopters falling to the ground after the collision. Due to copyright issues, Im posting the link instead of the photo.
Link to photoThe midair collision of two helicopters left debris in many areas at Steele Indian School Park and surrounding businesses. One helicopter fell into the nearby pond. The MSNBC photo at
this link shows it. That is where the coordinates for this waymark will take you. A memorial is located near that spot, about 50 feet away. Debris surrounded this location. Since it is a public park, all of the debris has been removed.