Horrific On July 27, 2007, two news helicopters collided and crashed live on air while filming a police pursuit. The video below captures the exact moment the collision occurred.

On July 27, 2007, two news helicopters collided and crashed live on air while filming a police pursuit. The video below captures the exact moment the collision occurred. 

The two aircraft carried a total of four individuals on board. Pilot Craig Smith and photographer Rick Krolak from KNXV-TV, and pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox from KTVK. 


Tragically, all four were killed in the incident. There were no reported casualties on the ground.


The investigation into the crash concluded that "...the probable cause of this accident was both pilots' failure to see and avoid the other helicopter.”

The helicopters involved in the accident were two AS-350 AStar models, operated by television stations KNXV-TV and KTVK. The helicopters were broadcasting a police pursuit live when the collision occurred, at 12:46:18 p.m. MST. Both aircraft came down in the Steele Indian School Park, central Phoenix. Three other news helicopters from some of the city's other stations (KSAZ, KPNX, and KPHO) were in the area and within seconds began reporting on the crash.

WATCH VIDEO FOOTAGE HERE 



In the aftermath of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that contributing to the accident was the lack of formal procedures for Phoenix-area ENG pilots to follow regarding the conduct of these operations. The day of the accident, Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris brought up the possibility that the suspect in the chase the two helicopters were covering could "be held responsible for any of the deaths from this tragedy". However, in 2010, when the suspect pleaded guilty to 35 crimes stemming from the 2007 police chase, he was not charged with the deaths of the helicopter occupants.

Two years after the accident, the families of pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox announced that a settlement for an undisclosed amount was agreed to with US Helicopters, the owners of the Channel 15 helicopter. This incident marked a significant moment in the history of news broadcasting, leading to changes in the way news helicopters were operated and the implementation of clearer rules for such operations.

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