Houston TV Station Copter Crashes, 2 Dead

Local ABC Station Chopper Crashes In Heavily-Forested Area, Killing Pilot And Camera Operator

(AP)  A pilot and television camera operator died Monday when their helicopter crashed near Houston on the way to cover a news story.

KTRK, an affiliate of ABC, reported the helicopter it had leased was flying to the scene of a shooting when it crashed in a state forest near Conroe, on the northern edge of Houston's suburbs.

Local stations showed video of burning trees and a pile of debris made up of pieces of the helicopter. The station's SkyEye logo was partially visible on one piece.

"All of us at KTRK-TV are deeply saddened by the tragic accident involving SkyEye 13 and our hearts go out to the families of the pilot and the photographer," station spokesman Tom Ash said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear what caused the 11:30 a.m. crash. Authorities from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were heading to the area to investigate, said Sgt. Kenneth Hiebert of the state Department of Public Safety.

"Most of it burned" after impact, Hiebert said.

There were a few houses nearby but none were damaged.

The aircraft, a Bell 206L4, was owned by Helicopters Inc., company spokeswoman Seva Kaiser told the Houston Chronicle. She said she did not know how old the helicopter was.

The company leases aircraft to about 70 news organizations around the country.

[thomderr]

We can blame them for being ''newshounds'', but it is the desire of this internet culture to recieve news immediately.

How many have complained already that there was no video of the crash, not even caring about the shooting?

[antizion]

The only story here are the psychos that make harsh comments about the unfortunate death of two people.

What kind of a nation have we become? What sickness do we suffer from?

Certainly much of it is due to the demoralization inflicted upon us daily by the media and our corrupt government.

What goes around, comes around and that law of energy can not be broken. It just takes time and their is no way to escape time.

Regards to the families.

[legacyabq]

brdliky

Why dont you get your own blog somewhere to post your, um, poetry which always graces this space..
I dont dislike it, but, exactly what is the point?
Is it supposed to be satire?
Or is this produced by a computer program?
Or you a poet, or a schizophrenic, or what?
It''s interesting, but I gotta tell you the truth:
it''s really not that creative.
Sorry dude

[Michael Arnold]

Oops!

Should''a have driven a news car instead.

[r933gts]

If a reporter wants to put their life on the line to be the first to arrive at the scene of the crime...it''''s their business. I wont lose any sleep.
+

That is sorta harsh, Is that what you would want people to say if you died doing your job ??

[cknob101]

Look, my hearts go out to the families of those killed but I have a hard time whipping up sympathy for a couple of ravenous news hounds who climbed into a chopper probably because it afforded them the quickest way to out scoop their competition. This conjures up images of the chopper/collision crash several years ago of two news helicopters greedily buzzing over a news story so wrapped up in getting the memorable shot that they didn''t notice they were flying into one another. If a reporter wants to put their life on the line to be the first to arrive at the scene of the crime...it''s their business. I wont lose any sleep.