TV news helicopters collide, killing 4 - Yahoo News
By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Writer
Two news helicopters covering a police chase on live television collided and crashed to the ground Friday, killing all four people on board in a plunge that viewers saw as a jumble of spinning, broken images.
Both helicopters went down in a park in central Phoenix and caught fire. No one on the ground was hurt.
TV viewers did not actually witness the accident because cameras aboard both aircraft were pointed at the ground. But they saw video from one of the helicopters break up and begin to spin before the station abruptly switched to the studio.
Television station KNXV reported that it operated one of the choppers. The other was from KTVK. A pilot and photographer aboard each chopper were killed.
2007-07-27 20:52:05 · 26 answers · asked by B. Gregory 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
I agree with Writersblock and Sticky. The pilots were at fault. The news broadcast I saw had segments of the pilots communicating. They knew they were in close proximity to one another vertically. One of them should have side slipped. Knowing they were vertically inline, vertcal movements were out of the question. The pilot that changed altitude is the one at fault.
The public has developed a 'thirst or craving' for police chases. Being able to see a chase real time is exciting, but can be deadly to not only innocent bystanders on the street, but also in the sky. Really and truely, the only helicopter that should have been up there is a law enforcement helicopter. The first time a news chopper gets in the way of a police chopper, the pilot of the news chopper will see his/her wings possibly taken, and a very expensive ticket, if not jail time.
I hate that these people lost their lives, but the pilots should have been paying more attention to their main job, which is to fly the chopper, and fly it SAFELY. Once they started worrying about the video, safety was out the window. If a pilot could SAFELY operate the helicopter and the video camera, then the reporter onboard no longer has a job.
2007-07-27 21:15:30 · answer #1 · answered by Airdale 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most definitely not the police. But the pilots of the two helicopters, because they were the "drivers" of the helicopters not the police. The police got there own work to do on the ground when they do a high speed chase, they can't keep an eye on whats going on in the air as well.
2007-07-27 21:08:43 · answer #2 · answered by Power 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No one is responsible. The person being chased didn't asked to be filmed... *****WHAT***** Oh so maybe the one being chased should blame it on the person whose vehicle he stole.Because they made it easy for him to steal the vehicle.I am sorry if this offends you but that is the most obsurd thing I have ever heard.Thats like saying Bin Laden isnt responsible for America seeing the destruction he caused.Unfortunately people in this country have a fascination with crime.If we didnt there wouldnt be all of these police shows (Cops,Scariest Police Chases).If you live in a major city and you start running from the cops you know there is a good possibility that the news crews are going to send cameras to follow it.The guy running from the cops should and more than likely will be held responsible.It was his actions that *eluding police* that unfortunately caused the deaths of the pilots and reporters.In MO if someone dies while in the process of commiting a felony then someone who was either commiting the felony or someone with them will be charged with murder.I know of 2 instances here where someone was charged with murder because someone they were with either a killed someone or the one commiting the felony died and the driver of the getaway vehicle was charged with murder because she knew what was transpiring in the house.
2007-07-31 16:46:57 · answer #3 · answered by firerescuemo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First off, why is this question in the Military section?
Secondly, you forgot a suspect: the Air Traffic Controllers.
However, from the eyewitness accounts, it seems that it is pilot error. One of the pilots was trying to get in position and got too close to the other helicopter. When he realized his error and tried to correct it, his blades made contact with the first aircraft's blades and caused both crafts to go out of control. Sadly, 4 people paid for the apparent error of one.
2007-07-27 21:15:03 · answer #4 · answered by Jim K 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Two groups are at fault here;
1.) The offender who caused the unfortunate situation.
2.) The TV stations because of their constant need to provide sensational news coverage to garner ratings. Face it,If you've seen one car chaise you've seen them all.
It's because of this need for sensationalism that the news crews pushed the limits for acceptable safety with the helicopters.
2007-08-02 15:46:58 · answer #5 · answered by Pfuzzy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How do you propose to charge the Police?
As far as I know they were not flying the helicopters involved in the crash!
Neither was the "alleged" criminal being chased in the car.
Obviously you have no idea how the law works.
2007-07-27 22:00:33 · answer #6 · answered by conranger1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The media. They shouldn't be following pursuits and what not anyways. Who cares if there is someone running from the police? Twenty minutes of them showing the police apprehending someone that important in all of your lives that you can't live without it. It's instances like this where the officers who are already putting their lives on the line have another danger because of the stupid television reporters who have to be involved in everything.
2007-07-27 21:08:12 · answer #7 · answered by Michael 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The pilots were clearly in error. It is very sad but they were probably not paying enough attention to their surroundings. Granted, the idiot being chased was out of line but he was not the cause of the crash, just the reason they were there. A symptom and consequence of our increasingly voyeuristic world I would say.
2007-07-27 20:57:46 · answer #8 · answered by sticky 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, considering that the ones at fault are now dead. Who do you want to blame? May be we should blame ourselves. The public, can't get enough of it. The media outlets know it. So any chase that occurs they send a film crew after it. Don't watch and they won't film it. Yeah, like that's going to happen.
2007-07-27 21:42:07 · answer #9 · answered by Gunny 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
To blame the suspects or the police would be woefully ignorant. If people are flying helicopters in such close proximity to each other, they ought to have been far more careful than that.
2007-07-27 21:48:19 · answer #10 · answered by Gotta have more explosions! 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋