4 Killed In TV News Helicopter Collision
Four people died today when two TV news helicopters collided while covering a police pursuit in central Phoenix.
Now, the man arrested in connection with the police pursuit has been identified and booked into jail.
Police say 23-year-old Christopher Jones has a criminal record and is on parole.
Jones was booked into jail late tonight on two counts of vehicle theft, four counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and one count of resisting arrest, with police saying other charges are expected to be filed later.
Earlier today, Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris suggested that the suspect could be held responsible for any of the deaths from this helicopter crash.
The helicopters from KNXV (Channel 15) and KTVK (Channel 3) were covering the police pursuit of a work truck around noon today.
Just before the collision, the driver had jumped out of the nearly disabled flatbed pickup and carjacked another truck.
The man later identified as Jones was taken into custody by a SWAT team after barricading himself inside a house.
The helicopters collided in midair over Steele Indian School Park around 12:40 p.m. while filming the pursuit for Channels 3 and 15, reports CBS News affiliate station KPHO-TV in Phoenix.
The two choppers came down on the grass lawn in front of a boarded-up church at the park. Firefighters swarmed to the area as thick black smoke rose from the scene. 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.
Killed on board the KTVK chopper were pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox. Reporter Craig Smith and photographer Rick Krolak were aboard the KNXV aircraft, the stations reported.
Smith, who was among the dead, was reporting live as police chased a man driving a flatbed truck who had fled a traffic stop. The man was driving erratically, hitting several cars and driving on the sidewalk at times.
Police had blown out the truck's tires, and the man eventually parked it, then carjacked a pickup truck nearby.
Just before the picture broke up, Smith said, "Oh geez!"
The station then switched to the studio and briefly showed regular programming, a soap opera, before announcing that the helicopter had crashed.
Police Chief Jack Harris suggested Jones could be charged in connection with the collision.
"I believe you will want to talk to investigators, but I think he will be held responsible for any of the deaths from this tragedy," Harris told reporters at the scene. He did not elaborate.
A Federal Aviation Administration investigator was on the scene Friday and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were expected to come in Saturday, Tranter said.
Rick Gotchie, an air conditioning contractor, was working nearby when he noticed the helicopters overhead. He said they began circling closer as he continued watching, and one appeared to get too close to the other.
"I kept saying 'Go lower, go lower,' but he didn't," Gotchie said. "It was like a vacuum. They just got sucked into each other, and they both exploded and pieces were flying everywhere."
He said he ran to the crash site, but "no one got out."
FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilots of the five news helicopters and one police chopper over the chase were not talking to air traffic controllers at the time, which is normal.
"Typically air traffic controllers clear helicopters into an area where they can cover a chase like this," Gregor said. "Once they are in the area, the pilots themselves are responsible for keeping themselves separated from other aircraft."
Pilots generally use a dedicated radio frequency to talk to each other and maintain their positions, Gregor said.
"There is a high degree of coordination," Gregor said. "To fly for a TV station you have to have a commercial rating, which means more (flight hours), more training."
Barbara Cochran, president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association in Washington, said the group does not track fatalities among helicopter news pilots, but she could not recall another example of two news choppers colliding while covering a story.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Now, the man arrested in connection with the police pursuit has been identified and booked into jail.
Police say 23-year-old Christopher Jones has a criminal record and is on parole.
Jones was booked into jail late tonight on two counts of vehicle theft, four counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and one count of resisting arrest, with police saying other charges are expected to be filed later.
Earlier today, Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris suggested that the suspect could be held responsible for any of the deaths from this helicopter crash.
The helicopters from KNXV (Channel 15) and KTVK (Channel 3) were covering the police pursuit of a work truck around noon today.
Just before the collision, the driver had jumped out of the nearly disabled flatbed pickup and carjacked another truck.
The man later identified as Jones was taken into custody by a SWAT team after barricading himself inside a house.
The helicopters collided in midair over Steele Indian School Park around 12:40 p.m. while filming the pursuit for Channels 3 and 15, reports CBS News affiliate station KPHO-TV in Phoenix.
The two choppers came down on the grass lawn in front of a boarded-up church at the park. Firefighters swarmed to the area as thick black smoke rose from the scene. 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.
Killed on board the KTVK chopper were pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox. Reporter Craig Smith and photographer Rick Krolak were aboard the KNXV aircraft, the stations reported.
Smith, who was among the dead, was reporting live as police chased a man driving a flatbed truck who had fled a traffic stop. The man was driving erratically, hitting several cars and driving on the sidewalk at times.
Police had blown out the truck's tires, and the man eventually parked it, then carjacked a pickup truck nearby.
Just before the picture broke up, Smith said, "Oh geez!"
The station then switched to the studio and briefly showed regular programming, a soap opera, before announcing that the helicopter had crashed.
Police Chief Jack Harris suggested Jones could be charged in connection with the collision.
"I believe you will want to talk to investigators, but I think he will be held responsible for any of the deaths from this tragedy," Harris told reporters at the scene. He did not elaborate.
A Federal Aviation Administration investigator was on the scene Friday and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were expected to come in Saturday, Tranter said.
Rick Gotchie, an air conditioning contractor, was working nearby when he noticed the helicopters overhead. He said they began circling closer as he continued watching, and one appeared to get too close to the other.
"I kept saying 'Go lower, go lower,' but he didn't," Gotchie said. "It was like a vacuum. They just got sucked into each other, and they both exploded and pieces were flying everywhere."
He said he ran to the crash site, but "no one got out."
FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the pilots of the five news helicopters and one police chopper over the chase were not talking to air traffic controllers at the time, which is normal.
"Typically air traffic controllers clear helicopters into an area where they can cover a chase like this," Gregor said. "Once they are in the area, the pilots themselves are responsible for keeping themselves separated from other aircraft."
Pilots generally use a dedicated radio frequency to talk to each other and maintain their positions, Gregor said.
"There is a high degree of coordination," Gregor said. "To fly for a TV station you have to have a commercial rating, which means more (flight hours), more training."
Barbara Cochran, president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association in Washington, said the group does not track fatalities among helicopter news pilots, but she could not recall another example of two news choppers colliding while covering a story.
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How is it the criminals fault? You could say it was the criminals fault if the police were killed because they had no choice but to go after him. But to say it was the criminals fault because these 4 people CHOSE to go up in a helicopter and play chase when it wasn't necessary is absolutely ridiculous. I will say it again: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE EGO AND GETTING THE STORY FIRST.
Agreed that excessive media coverage from the air creates potential safety hazards.
However, I think it's OK to charge the criminal for it. Throw the book at him. If a jury buys it, fine. There's absolutely no excuse for leading a high speed pursuit. Actually, I'm in favor for more widespread use of lethal force to stop criminals in high speed pursuits. If you can catch him on a clear stretch of road to minimimize hazard to others, just take him out."
Posted by nmsuip at 02:11 PM : Jul 28, 2007
Agreed, there are sociopaths like nmsuip who have no respect for law, order and justice and want to have it changed to suit their own sociopathic ends to a means and should be the one's locked up as the real lasting threat to our society.
"they do it so we are kept informed of everything, for safety reasons. it's not done for entertainment."
Years ago I might have agreed with you but now I don't think it is just to keep us informed. If that was the case all they would have to do is inform us on the radio or news. There was no need for the "ACTION" footage from the helicopters. They are out of control. It is all about their egos and being the first to tell the story.
I have never seen anything so pathetic as when Anderson Cooper was reporting on Hurricane Katrina. He was standing out in the storm screaming into his microphone for hours. What for? You were basically watching the same thing over and over. It was actually very irresponsible. There was a hurricane going on, that is all we needed to know. It wasn't about informing us because there was nothing to inform us about. He just stood there in the same place repeating the same thing. It was about his EGO and the need to hear his own voice.
in response to middleman8: you are a moron. the "big deal" is that four of the valley's most talented men were killed. the point of the men covering chases and fires and whatever else is to let the viewers know where it's happening so they know to avoid going there; and if they're already in the area, then it lets them know to stay inside or evacuate the area. why do you think they report live? they do it so we are kept informed of everything, for safety reasons. it's not done for entertainment. maybe you're not married and you have no kids, or friends (that one wouldn't surprise me), because i think that everyone with a good heart could at least imagine being in one of the mens' parents' shoes, or imagine one of those men being a loved one, and say, "wow, what a tragedy."
you don't need to post any more blogs because you are making a negative situation even worse. get lost.
if this guy is charged in the deaths of these 4 men, just imagine what kind of legal precedent that will set.
hot bikini clad women walking down the street could then be sued if gawkers crash their cars while looking at her.
etc
etc
etc
the people who are for this, are not thinking it all the way through.
they want to bend the law for everyone else to make themselves feel better.
Agreed that excessive media coverage from the air creates potential safety hazards.
However, I think it's OK to charge the criminal for it. Throw the book at him. If a jury buys it, fine. There's absolutely no excuse for leading a high speed pursuit. Actually, I'm in favor for more widespread use of lethal force to stop criminals in high speed pursuits. If you can catch him on a clear stretch of road to minimimize hazard to others, just take him out.
No doubt the helicopter manufacturers will be sued in this as well, regardless of whether or not aircraft technical issues played any role.
www.liveleak.com
WHere as I recall it's one of the featured videos, it also has a clip from another copter filming the crash moments after it happened.
The media is obsessed with getting action shots and people demand more.
But it's not the criminals fault...that's ridiculous! If two news helicopters collied while filming Paris Hilton coming or going to jail, would it be Paris' fault?
"As sad as it is, the pilots were negligent.
The pilots are resposible for their own actions and should never have been that close to each other in the first place. Pilot irresponsibility is the name of this episode. I hope the criminal gets a great lawyer on this one. This stupid criminal had nothing to do with pilot stupidity.