two choppers down in az

[jfkIII]

fiddlekitten..thx.

[rotorhead]

I used to work with Scott Bowerbank, one of the pilots killed in the crash. He was considered a pilot of better-than-average skill, and had plenty of experience working in the Phoenix airspace. His death and the death of the others will almost certainly be blamed on pilot error, specifically, the failure to see and avoid other aircraft.

Helicopters are extremely unforgiving of collisions with solid objects, the tips of the main rotor blades are typically moving at about 700 feet per second and disintegrate almost instantaneously in a mid-air situation. Any time there is more than one aircraft in the area the potential for disaster goes up substantially, and the airspace over a "news event" in a major US city is a vertitable zoo of helicopters. Frankly, it's amazing that a collision of this type hasn't happened earlier, there have been innumerable close calls in the past. I know, I've been there myself flying the hospital helicopter in a city with three news stations. There have been times when I was afraid to lift off from an accident scene, the air traffic was so busy. I can imagine what it's like in the PHX market, with a half-dozen aircraft buzzing around in the same congested space.

Blaming the driver of the truck would be a grossly unjust reaction, if there is any fault to be placed let it be on the news stations where it belongs. The root cause of the accident wasn't that there was news, it was the fact that the news stations typically expect the pilot to act as the "on-air talent" as well as flying the aircraft. To be fair, the pilots are part of the problem as well, they get paid substantially more when they're "the face" on the TV so they're been encouraging this setup themselves for financial reasons. Most of the time it works... but when it doesn't, you see what can happen. With helicopters when something goes wrong, it typically goes very wrong, very fast...prevention is the only workable technique.

IMO, the pilot should stick to piloting, and let someone else jabber on-camera. It's hard enough to keep track of where everyone is and fly the thing, let alone figuring camera angles and cue times and such. I suspect that the FAA will agree in the long run, but it'll be interesting to see how many other news crews get killed before they get their heads straight on this issue. You can be sure that the TV stations will lobby long and hard to make sure nothing changes, it's a financial issue for them.

My condolances go out to the families of those killed in the accident, it's hard enough to lose a son or a husband or a brother, let alone on live TV. If there is any positive side to this accident, it's that they didn't kill anyone on the ground. A half-minute earlier or later and they would have inevitably ended up crashing on someones house.

[jfkIII]

excellent post, rotorhead!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Arctic Kitten

Maybe the helicopter drivers were from Alaska

Pilots.

[Marylandkitten]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Pilots.

yeah yeah......

Maybe I should refer back to my 5 year old terminology for this one... they weren't helicopters...they were "daddypop-tahs".

[rotorhead]

Call 'em what you will, but the fact remains that there are four families out there making funeral arrangements, and four men that are never coming back home again. Those pilots died knowing full well that their end was coming, once the aircraft hit each other it was all over. The few seconds before they impacted the ground must have seemed like an eternity to those onboard. There are certainly worse ways to die, but their fates would not be my choice if such a thing were possible.

Orville Wright pegged it when he said something to the effect of "those who would prefer complete safety would be better off staying on the ground", not an exact quote (but close) and as applicable today as it was back then. Flying helicopters will never be as safe as traveling on the airlines; helicopters are used for too many inherently risky operations to make that possible. The guys that fly EMS for the hospitals, or work for the state Game and Fish guys, or the heli-loggers regularly take risks that would have any airline pilot rigid with fear, it's just a whole different game.

The fact remains however, that flying camera ships for a news station shouldn't be among those jobs considered the highest risk. The television stations have made choices that have let to an environment where the risk level is elevated far above where it should be. Being the first aircraft overhead a house fire or a police car chase shouldn't be worth risking the lives of the pilots and the people they fly over. It's not worth it just for a few seconds of live TV.

[greve]

rotorhead, Sorry for your personal loss,(Scott Bowerbank) He was very popular here in Phx., as well as the three other men. Sadly what you have said is all true. Thank You

[Magnum Mike]

I also knew Rick Krolak, who was on the ABC 15 Helicopter that crashed at the park. His ex-wife and his 14-year-old son live right across the street from me, and Rick used to always stop by to pick up his son. He was very friendly and always greeted me everytime he saw me.

I'm very thankful to the Good Lord that both helicopters didn't go down on Indian School Rd. or Central Ave, which are usually congested with lunchtime traffic. There's are also a number of office and condo high-rise buildings in the area, one that's right across the street from Steel Indian School Park, so we should be thankful the chase didn't go anywhere near those buildings.

Christopher Jones, who was the criminal that was involved in the police pursuit, should not be charged for the deaths of the helicopter crews, but I hope he goes to prison for a very long time, because he is only 23, and already has a long criminal record, and he was on parole when this incident happened on July 27th.