News Chopper Gets Distracted, Crashes on Live TV | Last Moments

While following a police chase, the Channel 15 news helicopter pilot seemingly got distracted by the drama on the ground, and paid for it with his life.

"On July 27, 2007, two AS-350 AStar helicopters from television stations KNXV-TV and KTVK collided in mid-air over Phoenix, Arizona, while covering a police pursuit. On board the two aircraft were four people in total – pilot Craig Smith and photographer Rick Krolak from KNXV-TV, and pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox from KTVK – all of whom were killed, while no casualties were reported on the ground."

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[TheSegert]

Honestly. who thought it was a good idea to have the reporter being the same guy as the pilot? Nobody thought this was a bad idea? nobody?

[jacquesdemolay]

It never even occurred to me that the pilots would have any other responsibilities besides piloting. This was tragically insane.

[pissedoffbucketguy]

its so heartbreaking hearing the other pilots react to the collision, especially the one pilot that realized who the helicopters were. they could've been in the exact same accident like them, truly terrifying.

[consortiumxf]

Daniel Clark, who was in one of the other news helicopters working during the crash and witnessed the horrific event (unsure if it's his voice describing the immediate aftermath), sadly took his life in October 2022 after years of struggling to deal with seeing 4 of his friends die. He's featured in one of the 10 year anniversary news vids and you can see he's still absolutely devastated. Surviving this near miss was by no means a 'prize.' I cannot imagine the agony of living with this pain for years. RIP Mr. Clark, I hope you are at peace now.

[RyanEglitis]

"Absolutely unbelievable. This guy doesn't care what he hits"
"This may be the end of this thing"
Truly prophetic

[SolomonMagnus]

Imagine thinking that texting while driving is super dangerous, but staring at a screen and reporting and interacting with the other news anchors while FLYING would be just fine. How did ANYONE think this was OK? Genuinely confused

[psychohelmetfounder]

Man... that one pilot just trying to catch his breathe after the crash.
Incredible sadness coming from him

[bigmanjohn-hi]

god, that last yell of “ope, oh!” that comes from the feeling of despair and helpless regret when you realize that you’ve just done something that you’ll never come back from. felt it many times, but i hope it’s not the last thing i ever feel.

[eastdakota]

god.. the anguish in the other report's voice as he realized who went down and what really happened. i can't imagine the types of emotions he was going through in that moment. the fact that people he likely considered friends we gone, how quickly it all happened, the fact that it could have been him if things had just been slightly different. i sincerely hope that none of the people in the other helicopters suffer with survivor's guilt.

rest in peace Craig Smith, Rick Krolak, Scott Bowerbank, and Jim Cox

[mikecox]

Being a pilot should 100% percent be your sole responsibility. If it's so important to have running commentary either have the camera man do it or an reporter. I think you could safely have three people in the chopper. The person who made this decision clearly didn't know the demands of being a pilot. RIP to all four of those men.

[lumgs]

This is unbelievable. A pilot reporting simultaneously? I could never imagine that this is common practice in the US. A pilot just pilots. Period. The networks should be held accountable for those deaths. RIP to those men

[markzaikov]

"This may be the end of this thing"
"Oh they're closing in"

Even their subconscious is warning them

[ChiefChef]

As a chopper pilot, All I do Is Pilot. That's it. UNREAL. The news stations should be charged. Clearly.

[Anonymous]

Shame that nothing ever changes until tragedy strikes.

[forsaken]

I am surprised that with how safety minded pilots usually are, that these pilots would agree to do this job like this.

[fliegeroh]

Thank God they edited an earlier version of the video. After the crash, there was a blood-curdling scream from the Chopper pilot as his craft fell to earth. It still chills me to this day. A man who knows he is about to die.

[PrestonFrankel]

I'm glad that accidents like this lead to much stricter guidelines, but it's sad that they need to happen before these things are even considered. Great video, as always

[Technoguyfication]

My film teacher in high school was working at channel 3 when this happened. She was on the radio with the chopper during the crash and heard her coworkers scream as it went down. That must've been haunting.

[caseyhamm]

‘that’s channel three’ kills me every time. that was his colleague, his friend, in the rubble and in the fire

[greatbrandini]

I automatically assumed the camera operator was the one providing commentary. VFR, following the chase, operating the comms, and reporting all at the same time is insane even if you're the only heli in the area