Phoenix News Helicopter Crash w/video!

I'm sure you'll all think i'm a horrible person for saying this but..good, i'm glad, it serves them right.

Let me explain..see i work in the media so i know how the news and all this stuff works. The news does NOT care about the people they report. Any time you see a reporting talking about how "horrible" a tragedy something was, they are reading a script that was carefully edited to tug at the emotions of people watching.

Journalists actually study the "correct" way to approach someone for an interview after they have been through something traumatic. Some common used lines are "we are sorry for your loss" "we know you have been through a lot" "we sympathise with your pain"..followed by, "..but do u think u could spare a few moments of your time to answer some questions?".

The news medias motto is "if it bleeds, it leads". Meaning..the most violent and shocking stories are run first, followed by "soft news" which is classifed as "warm hearted stories that give the viewer a Good feeling". (i.e. cat getting saved from a tree). I'm dead serious about that motto. If you don't belive me..just watch the news at 10. I guarentee the first few stories will be about robberys, rapes, or murders.

So i have NO sympathy whatsoever for these people in this crash. They are the type of bloodsucking scum that is ruining american media. They lived a life of exploiting people, and in the end got what they deserved. My only regret is the the choppers didn't crash into the TV station, and take out a few more souless lowlifes. Lol bet they didn't think they'd be part of the evening news!

Sounds like a "Tales from the Crypt" twist, don't you think?

Would have been cooler if the helicopter cameras where pointing at each other...

[edit on 29/7/2007 by enjoies05]

Yes alot of news is bad stuff and exploitative. But in this case I'd have to argue that a news chopper following a car chase is doing a public service. They help the police catch the bad guys and warn the public of a threat on the streets. I dont know their motivations or if they really have sympathy for victims, but high speed chases should be on telly imho.

[edit on 29/7/2007 by PsykoOps]

It's a pity there is no footage from the ground of the collision, all that probably happened were the rotors hitting each other. Which then causes a destabilization in the helicopters, causing them to crash.

I wonder why those helicopters have no Traffic Collision Avoidance System, that could easily avert this from happening, when you consider how close they can get doing something like this.

What really bugged me, was how the guy just circled the crash site, no sign of trying to call for help, and just saying how bad it looks and not trying to help, instead he just commentates.

In Phoenix and surrounding cities, the media helicopters are often used by the police to track car chases as well as other crimes as they are happening. It effectively gives them 6 eyes in the sky instead of 1. As a result if anyone assisting the police or innocent bystanders are hurtkilled the person in question that broke the law can have additional charges pressed against them.

Being charged does not mean they will ultimately receive a penalty for the incident.

Examples of what they can be charged with:
If they flee police and run over someone resulting in a person's death or injury.
If they drive recklessly and cause someone to lose control because they were startled or otherwise distracted and collided with someone or something else.
If a civilian assisting the police is hurt or killed while assisting the police (includes the news helicopter).
Any property damage they cause.

What they cannot be charged with:
If somewhere across town someone gets involved in an accident completely unrelated to the chase.

The reason they can be charged is that if they had not broken the law and involved the police in a chase the accidents would likely not have happened.

I have a scanner and routinely listen to the news helicopters, they are in constant contact with the police and the other helicopters in the area. If the police lose sight of a suspect, the news helicopters will help the police in finding them again or directing them to where they are if they know.

"Prediction" based on eyewitness reports and the FAA's spokesperson's evaluation from yesterday:

Both pilots will receive "blame" for the accident for not keeping safe distances and watching out for each other. The channel 15 pilot will receive the greater responsibility as he was in motion (circling) just before the collision.

From the still picture taken just after the crash you can see the 15 helicopter is nearly intact except for it's blades. The 3 helicopter was chopped to pieces. The means that the 15 helicopter was below the 3 helicopter at the moment of impact.



If you watch the video of the incident taken from the 15 helicopter, near the end of the video as the sound of the crash is being turned down you can hear the 15 pilot screaming as his helicopter falls out of the sky.

media.filecabi.net...

You can read the incident report at www.ntsb.gov... when the investigation is complete in a couple of months.

It's sad that this has happened. I do feel sorry for the families of both of these crews.

The footage of the crash from an uninvolved helicopter, was probably brought to the pilot and cameraman's attention cause they heard it on the scanner. I'm sure if the could help with that any more..... they would of. You can hear the fear and concern in the cameraman's voice as he talked. I'm sure it was a devastating sight that really brought the reality to those around into perspective.

I personally think that if those helicopters are helping the police, then there is a need for them.

Still a terrible incident.

At 00:40 you can hear the pilot screaming.

What can you say, they died covering a car chase, not too noble a death, but God bless 'em.

Peace

The final accident report has been released www.ntsb.gov...