Philadelphia TV news chopper involved in fatal crash was leased from NC company
A fatal TV news helicopter crash in south Jersey on Tuesday has ties to a North Carolina company.
A pilot and photographer with 6abc Action News in Philadelphia were killed when Chopper 6 went down at about 8 p.m. in the woods in Washington Township, New Jersey, while returning from an assignment, the TV station reported.
The helicopter — a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR — is leased from Marshville-based U.S. Helicopters Inc, according to the station. Marshville is a small town in Union County east of Charlotte.
U.S. Helicopters Inc. did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday from The Charlotte Observer.
The investigation by federal authorities into the cause of the crash is ongoing. U.S. Helicopters Inc. has been in touch with the families, the station said Wednesday.
Charlotte recently saw a news chopper crash involving a different company.
In November 2022, WBTV pilot Chip Tayag and meteorologist Jason Myers were killed when their helicopter crashed adjacent to Interstate 77 southbound near Tyvola and Nations Ford roads. That helicopter was a Robinson R44 made by Robinson Helicopter Co. in Torrance, California.
About U.S. Helicopters Inc.
U.S. Helicopters touts itself as being “the premier provider of full service, exclusive use Electronic News Gathering helicopter programs in the U.S.” for over 35 years.
The company was founded in 1979 by Cress Horne Jr. when he was a student at Wingate University.
U.S. Helicopters works with more than 30 news agencies and has over 1 million flight hours, according to the company’s website.
About the news chopper in the NJ crash
The AS350, called the “go-to helicopter,” is a single-engine helicopter that is adaptable and performs well in a variety of climates, according to U.S. Helicopters’ The Ultimate Airbus AS350 Helicopter Guide. The helicopter is used in a range of industries such as law enforcement, motion picture filming and charter flights.
The AS350 Astar family of helicopters are made in Columbus, Mississippi, and supported in Grand Prairie, Texas, according to U.S. Helicopters’ website.
More on U.S. Helicopter’s history
The first fatal crash involving US Helicopters was over 25 years ago, according to Observer archives.
All five people aboard a Bell JetRanger owned by U.S. Helicopters were killed in May 1998 when the aircraft clipped a power line on U.S. 74 in Union County. The four passengers were being flown from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Monroe Airport following a NASCAR Winston Cup race.
The helicopter was flying low in fog when it hit a high-tension transmission line 150 feet above U.S. 74 and crashed in the median, the Observer reported. Investigators’ final report suggested bad weather and bad pilot judgment led to the crash, the Observer reported.
U.S. Helicopters was involved in another incident nine years later, according to data at Aviation Safety Network by Flight Safety Foundation. The Virginia-based international nonprofit focuses on research, education, advocacy and communications in aviation safety.
In July 2007, two news choppers crashed into each other in midair in Phoenix, killing the pilot and photographer on each aircraft. One of the helicopters — a 1998 Eurocopter AS 350B2 — was operated by U.S. Helicopters Inc. under contract to KNXV-TV. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the wreck was both pilots’ “failure to see and avoid the other helicopter,” the network’s data show.
‘Extremely safe’ helicopters
Still, even when helicopters experience a mechanical issue, they can land in places airplanes can’t, like a parking lot or parking garage, said Raymond Schumacher. He’s an assistant professor of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus in Prescott, Arizona.
“(That ability) makes it a lot safer for the general public,” he said. “Most news helicopter accidents are mid-air or near mid-air, but are extremely rare.”
Schumacher has many hours flying the AS350 B2, both commercially and as a flight instructor. The Astar family, which has been certified since 1977, holds several safety records, he said. And the B2 has been around since the early 1990s.
“They’re extremely safe helicopters, especially in flight,” Schumacher said. “Extremely reliable. Very pilot-friendly. Overall it’s a great aircraft.”
