A television photographer and a news helicopter pilot were killed Tuesday evening when their aircraft crashed in a New Jersey field.
The helicopter used by Philadelphia ABC station WPVI (Channel 6) was en route from an assignment when it disappeared over the Wharton State Forest in Burlington County, the station reported.
Station officials later confirmed that the helicopter went down as it was returning to Philadelphia. The crash killed 67-year-old pilot Monroe Smith and 45-year-old photojournalist Chris Dougherty, WPVI said.
Both men who died were employees of U.S. Helicopters, which owns the aircraft and leases it to WPVI for use in their newscasts.
“We deeply sympathize with their families and share in their grief as a result of this tragic event,” a spokesperson for U.S. Helicopters said on Wednesday. “We will share arrangements in accordance with the families’ wishes. We will cooperate with the FAA and other authorities during their investigation and are still gathering information, so we cannot comment or provide further information on the cause of this tragedy.”
New Jersey State Police reported the discovery of a debris field associated with the downed chopper just after midnight Wednesday. Federal officials have opened an investigation into what happened, but said access to the debris field was difficult due to the troubling terrain of the forest.
A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said investigators will look through flight data, maintenance logs associated with the aircraft and the helicopter pilot’s personnel records, as well as any photos or videos that may have shown the crash in order to determine what went wrong.
“NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment,” Jennifer Gabris with the NTSB told reporters on Wednesday. “During the on-scene phase of the investigative process, the NTSB does not determine or speculate about the cause of the accident.”
A preliminary report is expected to be released within 30 days of the crash. The NTSB could release its final report into the cause of the incident with 12 to 24 months.
WPVI is owned by the Walt Disney Company.
