A Huge Blow To The Phoenix Media Community...

As a student of Mass Communications, this is something that has seriously been a blow to the media community! I gave been watching live feed from Channel 12 most of the afternoon and my emotional side wants to blame the guy who was responsible for the helicopters being there in the first place. Read the article, and you will understand!

2 news copters collide over Phoenix; 4 killed
John Faherty, Becky Bartowksi and Jennifer Price
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 27, 2007 02:55 PM

Two local news helicopters crashed in midair early Friday afternoon in central Phoenix.
One pilot and one photographer from each aircraft died when the helicopters collided over Steele Indian School Park.
The helicopters, as well as those from other stations, were covering a police chase.
In the moments before the crash, the pilot from KNXV-TV (Channel 15), Craig Smith, was on the radio with the pilot from KTVK-TV (Channel 3).
The inherent danger and periodic confusion of covering a police chase was clear even though you could only hear one side of the radio transmission.
Pilot Craig Smith is heard asking his photographer and talking to the pilot of Channel 3.

“Where's 3?”

“How far? Oh, jeez.”

“3, I'm right over you. 15 on top of you.”

“I'm over the top of you.”

Channel 15, the local ABC affiliate, reported that pilot Craig Smith and photographer Rick Krolak were on board.
Channel 3 reported that pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox were on their aircraft.
Bob Smith of Phoenix was about 100 yards away from the crash having a picnic in the park with his construction workers.

"I heard the pop. They (the helicopters) exploded and went down. Debris is all over the park. It's surreal and unbelievable. Black smoke is everywhere."

On a clear and warm day, there were many witnesses to the crash and the aftermath when both helicopters were engulfed in flames at the park near Central Avenue and Indian School Road.

"It was surreal, it was like watching a movie," Chris Miller, a central Phoenix business operator, told 12 News.

Another witness, Amber Eastep, told the station, "The two choppers hit and came down straight. There's 3 TV and then there's 15 and Fox 10 was just behind them. We thought it'd be all three of them (crashing)."

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said there are rules governing airspace and communications when news pilots desire to fly in the same airspace.
Friday afternoon, air traffic control cleared five news helicopters and one police chopper to enter the airspace early.
Once cleared, individual pilots used a dedicated helicopter frequency to communicate and maintain separation from other aircraft.
Gregor said that, within an hour of the crash, FAA officials went over recorded transmissions from air traffic control and determined all pilots were correctly following procedure.

“Everyone complied in this case,” Gregor said. “What exactly went wrong once they were in the airspace, I do not know.”

The last fatal Valley crash involving a news helicopter occurred on July 5, 1991, when Mike Nuetzman, a helicopter pilot for radio station KTAR-AM, was apparently spooked by a bottle rocket that flashed by him as he flew low. He lost control and crashed just before he was to deliver a traffic report.
News anchors reporting on Friday’s crash on KTVK appeared emotionally shaken.

"It is very much a brotherhood, like firefighters,'' Scott Clifton, CBS 5 helicopter pilot, said of the Valley news pilots.

The whole incident began around noon. Police were in pursuit of a man they say stole a truck and then rammed into a police car.
The television helicopters started covering the incident at some point during the pursuit.
The suspect is now holed up in a west Phoenix house on the 2600 block of North 83rd Avenue.
Includes information from 12 News. Republic reporters Kelsey Hazlewood, Chelsea Schneider and Jay Jenkins also contributed to the report.

Return for updates throughout the day and pick up tomorrow's Arizona Republic for complete coverage.