News Chopper Gets Distracted, Crashes on Live TV | Last Moments
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- čas přidán 14. 09. 2023
- 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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real asf uck for that
Never thought I'd see a Qxir Last Moments episode about something I witnessed first hand, yet here we are.
Congrats on almost hitting a mill
Congrats on 1m, been here since before 50k. Never forget
@@JDBajaBlast not yet!
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?
That's the point, nobody thought.
the sad reality is many laws, rules, or regulations are written in the blood of those who died or were injured due to those rules, laws, or regs not existing yet. Especially in aviation. It is also likely someone DID bring up the issue, but it wasn't approved for financial reasons.
yeah i feel like usually they have someone else in the helicopter or just someone at the office watching the video do the reporting
cocaine
@meZeusta14 it was probably also cheaper for the news channel, unfortunately money has more worth than a poor guy's blood.
"Absolutely unbelievable. This guy doesn't care what he hits"
"This may be the end of this thing"
Truly prophetic
That's sad tbh
"They're closing in."
If I had a nickel for every time I've seen irl foreshadowing/irony that has ended tragically, I would have at least two nickels. Which is not a lot ,but it's weird it's happening more than once.
Nick Crowley Am I right?
Damn
‘that’s channel three’ kills me every time. that was his colleague, his friend, in the rubble and in the fire
Absolute ice in the veins. I'm not sleeping very well tonight
did ya sleep well, pumpkin? having nightmares?@@anthonyhayes1267
Do you know this for a fact or just supposing ?
@@stanfordwillis4841 the only word in my statement that could be a supposition is ‘friend’ and i think his reaction sort of confirms it. that was, in fact, the entire point of my comment
I see@@caseyhamm4292
The proximity of ALL these helicopters is INSANE, not even separated by any vertical airspace?! WTH?
I guess T cas failed to say traffic traffic alerting them of the impending crash🤣
These guys operate in VFR, so the number of rules is actually shockingly minimal. I doubt they even file flight plans. They probably don't even have TCAS in these cheap choppers.
@@ZTenski How could they file a flight plan for a police chase lol There's no way to know where it'll end up and with 5 helicopters orbiting the same moving target there's really no way for a controller to help provide separation. This is VFR. They are responsible for their own separation. Really falls on the pilots for accepting the dangerous job and partly on the news stations for expecting pilots to fly and report
Ever see the LA sky at night? It's like an airshow in the dark.
Even flying VFR we have rules on separation, so it did surprise me seeing these guys so close together all at the same altitude. When it comes to TCAS, such a system would have been going off nonstop in this situation, so I’m certain that it’s something that was unused on these helicopters, either by design or by choice. This video shows just how close the one filming the two that crashed also was and within that distance any TCAS system would be screaming at one guy to claim and another to descend. I’m not a helo pilot so I can’t say much for what they have onboard, but I had always thought the pilot and copilot would have been the ones flying with one or the other controlling the camera, whilst a reporter sat in the back reporting. I find it hard to understand how the FAA permitted this kind of setup on news helicopters, but again, I’m no helo pilot and I’m not from the US.
It never even occurred to me that the pilots would have any other responsibilities besides piloting. This was tragically insane.
They shouldn't, especially helicopter pilots. It takes an insane amount of concentration and skill to handle a helicopter smoothly, especially in close quarters with other aircraft. Even experienced pilots would still need to be fully aware of everything going on around them, and flying around in such close quarters is already dangerous at best. At bare minimum, there should have been a pilot, someone in charge of cameras, a reporter for commentary (if they insisted on having live commentary from the helicopter), and, if possible, a co-pilot to handle communications and keep an eye on the aircraft systems. Whoever decided that there should only be two people on board clearly had no idea how much skill and concentration it takes to fly a helicopter.
That's what our instructors tell us: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate -- in that order.
I just can't figure out how someone thought that would be a good idea. Not only would it be safer to have someone else do it, it would probably also lead to better quality reporting because that would be the only thing they're focusing on. It's just so god damn stupid.
why did they show 4 people dead? if the pilots were doing it all?
@@ScreamingEagleFTW Each helicopter had a pilot and a photographer.
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
There was a time when talking on your cellphone was perfectly fine and legal as well
@@jr2904 that was before everyone had one.
As with this incident, changes to legislation are often more reactive than proactive.
I mean... if it's a low traffic area and you're going by what the control tower is giving you, not visual flight, flying actually requires less attention than driving- depending on the aircraft in question, of course.
However this case? It's absolutely insane. Helicopters already require a lot more active input and a news helicopter pilot already has to worry about helping the cameraman get a good angle on things. And having all that additional work on top, commentating, communicating with the newsroom, listening to all those other frequencies... that's just crazy.
Sadly, this is how most crucial regulations come into place. Not because someone with forethought said "Hey this doesn't make sense, we should correct this issue!", but because some form of gruesome accident that forced the hands of those who make the rules. A lot of it comes down to too many problems, not enough people working on them.
@@jr2904 talking to your phone is one thing and in fact it's only illegal to do so while holding said phone because it leave you with only one hand to interract with the car controls. In many country you can talk to your phone with a handsfree kit. Op said texting which is radically different and not unlike what happened with those pilots. You could switch it with "reading a book while driving" or "watching a movie while driving" the idea is the same.
I can barely keep track of multiple tabs open in my browser. Expecting these pilots/reporters/etc to keep track of everything is truly insane.
Boeing employees
The fact that any news outlet ever thought of a pilot being a reporter at the same time, instead of focusing on flying, is beyond ridiculous
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.
Can you imagine trying to keep reporting and then having to land the helicopter after that?
"Oh my god! That's Channel 3!"
Poor guy sounded horrified and sorrowful. Seeing two fellow journalists and pilots falling and crashing with the situation you're also in must be close to traumatising.
imagine someone you communicated to not 5 minutes ago was now in a burning pile of metal.
seriously, it was so unnerving to see he was trying to keep himself together.@@tristanraine
Is heartbreaking some new trending yt word now?
The amount of times I see "It's so heartbreaking" 🤦🏻♂️
@pissedoffbucketguy9115 Hearing his reaction broke my heart.
As a chopper pilot, All I do Is Pilot. That's it. UNREAL. The news stations should be charged. Clearly.
The helicopter was a sub contractor IIRC. So the station hired out the copter from another company.
It's the pilots responsibility. You know that's how it should be, because you're a professional pilot. So where they, it was THEIR responsibility to say "No, that is unsafe, I won't do that".
Definitely,not the criminal in the chase on the ground.
@@randlemcmurphy2672 was talking about the chopper Crash!?? lol
Wasn't this kind of accident the reason most states have laws against texting and driving? It's by the Grace of God that no one on the ground was injured or killed as well as the ones in the helicopters.
Hearing the other choppers reacting to what they were seeing was heartbreaking. I never would have thought of or imagined it before this video, but that would be a very select fraternity.
well had they all been at different altitudes this never would have happened plain and simple having them both on the same altitude was what allowed this crash to happen plain and simple
@@SaraMorgan-ym6ue Thank you, captain obvious.
@@ozpin8329 your very welcome🫵
@@SaraMorgan-ym6ue Wait you mean they only hit each other because they ended up in the same spot? Woah
Hearing the Channel 3 reporter struggling to live was pretty sad. It's a shame these regulations weren't in place years ago.
Man... that one pilot just trying to catch his breathe after the crash.
Incredible sadness coming from him
To me it sounded like they may have been friends.
it must have been horrible to witness people you know fall out of the sky, and watching it burst into flames, i would be hyperventilating too
@@asole100They were very close friends. They trained and flew together for years. He came to a helicopter safety seminar and told us all about it a few months later.
Yup, that would be me too. I have witnessed a few bad things and yeah you basically freeze.
@@williamk9881 Seems like the safety seminar was needed before the accident. Who thought it was a good idea to have the pilot also report? Tragedy yes, but utterly moronic and foolish as well. Tragedies can be caused by accidents or incredibly stupidity.
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
It's not really common practice.
In Los Angeles many of the helicopter photographers are also reporters, but they are not the pilots.
Stu Mundel is the photographer/reporter for FOX 11's Sky Fox chopper. He's a legend up there. But he does not pilot the aircraft.
He accepted it himself , nobody forced him . helicopter missed
Before automated traffic counting... there used to be solo traffic reporters who flew over cities every morning reporting on traffic jams. Both in helicopters and planes. It can be done... but the priority should be flying the aircraft... and that includes constantly looking for other air traffic in visual conditions. This guy failed in that basic task.
that has largely changed due to this accident.
I agree.
"Chaotic multi-tasking." That's an understatement.
Phonecian native myself. The crash was happened at Central and Indian School at Steele Indian School Park. My favorite Channel 3 eye in the sky photo journalist at the time died. You're sooo horribly missed Jim.
I miss all the old timers, same with the radio personalities.
Fuck Phoenix the whole valley is a wasteland
Having to report on the death of your friends immediately after they die is absolutely brutal.
Cops go through that all the time. Check out the classic episode of Adam-12: "Elegy for a Pig."
Media outlets care so much about the money they can make from sensationalism that the station execs were probably just thinking that besides the police car chase bumping up their ratings, the fatal chopper crash also caught on camera would just make it even better. They don't care. They weren't the ones killed. If they actually cared, they wouldn't have underpaid these dudes to do five other things at the same time they were engaged in the very serious business of flying a chopper
@@davidlafleche1142 Ugg - this is sobering to see this. I knew nothing about it but it's impactful.
The tv stations have to change policy and give the Pilot 1 job: FLY YOUR CHOPPER SAFELY!
@@davidlafleche1142that was a funeral… kinda different situation there
@@miatorelli7387 Not really. In both cases, the person reporting the death personally knew the people who were killed.
Shame that nothing ever changes until tragedy strikes.
Regulations are written in blood.
That's the downside of freedom.
@@065Tim
Freedom for who exaclty?
You do know it hasn't changed though right? 3 times in the last 3 months helicopters have crashed into each other in america. They still DaF. 🤣🤣
@@065Tim And yet each "rule" encroaches upon tyranny.
"Unlawfully at large" is an actual charge in the UK. You get an extra charge for knowingly being beyond a certain financial "bounty" and not turning yourself in. At which point does your magical rulebook negate crime? Doesn't seem to work. And hence America was born, and revolutionized the "innocent until proven guilty" model the world since adopted.
Here's what you're getting at; humans need guidance and are susceptible to their inner desires. Legislation does not hold a society together on its own, but legislation in accordance to GOOD, as defined by a deity, does. The reality of the deity matters not, the societal consequences are the endgoal. If the people as a whole REFUSE to steal not because they're afraid of losing a finger, but rather they're afraid of consequences beyond our perception, the society will be much more peaceful and tame. History proves this, right down to the recent stagnation of our species' innovations. We do not thrive without God, even the most staunch atheists admit humans have some pre-coded desire to worship, so denying this truth is an unintelligent disservice to everyone.
The world is dichotomous, cold only exists as the absence of heat whereas total "freedom" is the absence of order. I don't think you're advocating for us all to return to tribal life, "free" of shoes and the knowledge of clothing, are you? Because you're "free" to live such a life whenever you wish, although you'll quickly realize reality itself follows order via laws of physics, genetic code, and countless other symbiotic apparatti, and so the only true "freedom" is making the choice to or not to engage in this game. Everything else holds you victim to some sort of "oppressive" outside force. And so, if the people like yourself live predecided lives, puppeted by those intelligent enough to understand, what's the issue in making everyone obey religion if the end result is more human prosperity and peace? It's better than "choosing" to allow people to succumb to the initially cited flawed human desires which have been recorded and vindicated for literally our entire existence.
Whoever made the 3d reenactment did a great job
I vividly remember when this happened. The channel 15 pilot normally had his dog in the cockpit with him but uncharacteristically decided to leave him behind this one time since it was a police chase and there would be a lot going on.
I am surprised that with how safety minded pilots usually are, that these pilots would agree to do this job like this.
There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old and bold pilots. Unfortunately, these pilots got a bit too caught up in the thrill of the chase. No doubt numerous other pilots turned this gig down precisely cause of the obvious safety issues. RIP to these souls and my condolences to their families.
The rules and procedures we follow are written in blood. Those that deviate are doomed to repeat the reasons why they exist.
it also happens with medevac and corporate flights where the pilots want to finnish the mission without much regard to meteorological conditions either for the sake of the patient or because the retards on board insist on getting to their destination at a certain time because they have to. usually ends up in multiple obits which end up in some interesting videos and safety reports on the hubris of humans without enough braincells or balls to say "no can do" when necessary. 😏
@@EyebrowsMahoneythat's most definitely true in aviation.
@@EyebrowsMahoneyhonestly it could be indicative of this guy just not ever having anybody drive home the points of safety to him. But then again it could just be a dumbass who knows.
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.
You can hear the scream in the last part of this video when it cut to the reporter, but it's not that clear. There are other videos where the scream is clearly heard. I will warn you though, it's a death scream so it will stay with you.
You can hear it at the end of the video 😢
What caused all of this? Why were the police chasing this guy? Did he do something wrong, or did this all escalate from something like a licence plate bulb burned out?
@@billstrasburg384Did...did you not listen to literally any of the video? Pretty sure it was mentioned it was a stolen vehicle in like the first minute.
RIP to all 3 of them
Im so dumb bro, i was like "man who was the chopper filming the other choppers?" LMAO fore i realized it was CGI
Who cares? Not a laughing matter
no cgi. It is actual footage. There were 5 news choppers in the air. 2 collided, 1 filmed the collision
@@RonWrightwritesthey’re talking about the animation in this video showing how they collided
@@RonWrightwritesthere are no clips in this video that are from other helicopters filming the crash happening, it’s all cgi
Thank you for the visual companion video. I was actually in Arizona at the time of this horrific accident for a business meeting. God bless all that were involved.
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
A lot of safety regulations are written in blood.
„All regulations are written in blood.“
[insert dramatic oneliner]
Because to much regulation is tyranny
Psssst, if you had any kind of clue, things didn't change for america, 3 times in the last 3 months helicopters have crashed into each other, they still crashing into each other all the time. 🤣🤣
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
And then those vultures start filming the crash instead.
@@dboboc I mean, it's not like it stopped being news. It became, in fact, even more news. At least their stations had the good sense to put a separate reporter in their choppers.
@@dbobocI’d argue their filming ultimately did good. The news coverage likely led to the new regulations for news helicopters being co-opted much more quickly than if it had simply happened without anyone batting an eye.
the fact the lady was just calm.. i would be worried and standing there in horror if i was on Live seeing what just happened.
everyone is different and respond to these situations differently. i personally dont have the same empathetic feel as others, and there isnt much i can do about it@@__taka__8200
I was living in Phoenix working nights so I slept during the day. I woke up this particular afternoon to see newscasters crying on air. Then I heard the news and I lived just a few miles away. It was devastating news for such a small town compared to others.
Former military pilot here. When a zone goes hot and a ROZ gets put up, we have a system to coordinate aircraft’s positions without having a traditional aircraft controller. It’s not a computer system either - it’s coordination with radios and having a designated aircraft to play as a “controller” to keep aircraft separated as we attack a target.
This system has been around since the 90’s maybe longer.
Great. Glad that's available to the government using my tax dollars
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.
its common fucking sense ! people like me wouldn't let that slide
audaciously flawed logic to try to blame the criminal too
It comes down to money. They wouldn't want to pay three salaries to people who could only be used in the helicopter. Cheaper to have the reporter narrate it from the ground.
thanks, captain obvious.
100%, aviate navigate communicate.
Really sad outcome.
The moment you described what the pilot is doing... holy christ how do these things not crash all the time? How does a pilot even accept that job? That's downright suicidal.
Money. It always comes down to money.
They did actually crash very frequently, but usually it was due to improper maintenance and just a single vehicle incident that rarely resulted in deaths.... theres dozens of videos of news choppers doing emergency landings and auto gyrating down and ive seen a couple that have collided with structures
Thankfully some better practices came out of this tragedy, like a copilot freeing the pilot from reporting, and helicopter sharing with separate commentary at each news room. The latter makes perfect sense in terms of safety and lower cost of operations. Also, using small drones instead of helicopters may be safer too.
I remember reading a comment from a guy who was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam war and later on a commercial pilot. He said helicopters are inherently dangerous and that NO ONE should be using them for leisure, only when necessary. Sadly we've seen lots of rich and famous people die due to using helicopters for pleasure.
@@Michael_Hunt Humans were never built for flying.
Tracking and reporting what's on the ground and looking out for other choppers, that's insane man.
Pilot, spotter, reporter, 3 on-board should be mandatory.
as a pilot this is all insane.
but also wow you kinda nailed all the definitions and what not about aviation, well done! everything you said about aviation sounded like u were a pilot, kudos!
The fact that they made these guys do the piloting and reporting at the same time was just insane. There is no way to maintain spacial awareness and watch something that is happening on the ground at the same time. They even tried to charge the guy who was running from the cops with the deaths of the chopper crews.
they likely just used the threat of charging for the deaths of the chopper crews to gain leverage in plea negotiations.
Why did the pilots accept this job?
they didn't make them. there were greedy enough people to accept that job. if no one was willing to do it, things wouldn't have been like this. the pilots carry as much guilt as the networks
@@murrayshekelberg9754a veteran pilot doing his job is being greedy? Bullshit, I never believed shit can be sentient but you are proof of that.
Now you’re probably gonna try to say something back at me but idc because the only thing that is offensive to me is if I’m forced to live your miserable life
How is nobody noticing that the helicopters are CG? Is everyone blind?
"This guy doesn't care what he hits..." Right before he hit another aircraft is wild
Bro I was thinking the exact same thing when I heard that part lol.
I literally said "The Irony" when he said that smh. Rest In Peace to those 4 men.
Bs he did care one those helicopters were supposed to keep going chopper 3 stopped when he wasn't supposed to they have camera turrets on all helicopters plus he did not announce hus intentions of stopping either both pilots were not paying attention which was another cause of this crash
yeah, exactly
@@Mark-bw1wx bs were you in the helicopter with them genius he got transfixed on the chase BTW don't assume that just makes an ass of you not me
Prayers for the parties involved. Such a tragic accident.
i missed this channel. this guy always has good content . subscribed again. glad i found you again
Who on earth had the idea that the guy flying the helicopter was ALSO the reporter??
The guy trying to save an additional salary.
Ppl obsessed with profits, whether thats to impress shareholders or to get a bigger bonus for themself
Greed is what causes businesses to routinely determine that profit is worth more than a human life. This is why regulation exists and why civil lawsuits for such srs injuries and deaths exist
I hope that the four news workers who lost their lives did in the end get some justice here; and their family were able to win wrongful death lawsuits against the news agencies who thru their reckless negligence in the furtherance of small differences in profits/views
Its so clearly cut and dry to me that the two news agencies (all of them rly, but these two are the ones that matter for civil suits) thru their choices of policies and procedures put their employees lives at risks, every day. This was just the day that their policies finally inevitably caused deaths to occur
They no doubt tried to blame the pilots, but this is how literally all the pilots were doin things and its easy to prove that such practices were not just routinely done by all the pilots, but were also dangerously unsafe and recklessly endangered the lives of these workers.
When company policies encourage unsafe practices; the company can and is often held accountable for any resultin catastrophes caused by their policies. This is why pizza places stopped advertisin hvily as havin super fast delivery; and have all srsly revised driver policies to make clear that the driver must obey all traffic laws. Drivers arent even given competition rewards for fastest deliveries anymore either, bcuz such incentives encouraged the brkin of traffic laws to achieve them.
Like, imagine a racin game where you had to obey the traffic laws; the best race times wud end up bein very very similar, if not the same, in no short order. Bcuz you cant exactly get 30 miles any faster at 30mph than an hr; unless you brk either traffic laws or laws of physics.
So since it was too easy for workers and their families to win civil suits for dmgs, either as a result of srs injury or wrongful death; the companies changed policy to stop losin money there, as the dmgs ended up nearin enuf, to cut into the profits gained by such unsafe practices, to matter to the bottom line
No doubt the real reason news agencies changed policy after this was based solely on such legal logic only based reasonin; not out of a desire to not cause more death... just a desire to not lose money, and them realisin that a cheaper option existed which wud work just fine. Bcuz companies dont just change unsafe practices for the sake of protectin workers; they only ever do it cause it affects their bottom line
@@SylviaRustyFae g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g
Here are some gs to sprinkle around your paragraph and fill in where they are missinG! 🙂🤣
@@MattH-wg7ou I type as i do due to a fine motor control disability; ya understood me, didnt ya?
Shorter words are easier for me to type, i almost always typo ing at the end of a word, but in at the end is typod way less by me
As is, with all my shortcuts i bring my typo rate down from like 70% of words to 20% of words; which is still a lot more than most ppl typo, but its bearable for me compared to otherwise
@@SylviaRustyFae I was just joshin it wasn't an attack or intended to cause offense.
The idea that the police actually even considered charging the fleeing suspect for the helicopter deaths is absolutely insane. Obviously an emotionally-driven outburst that should have been kept under control.
Agreed, although it's good to remember that we weren't in their shoes that day, we don't know what stresses and emotions they were feeling at the moment that was said.
It's akin to blaming oiling companies for people driving gas cars.
I know, right! they were not part of the police/law enforcement attempting to capture the "suspect", if it was one of the patrol cars in pursuit who went off the road and burned in a fiery crash then yes, but not news helicopters, they had no law enforcement purpose to be there and they were not cars or pedestrians on the street hit by the "suspect's" vehicle while fleeing.
Of course they did, anything else would be un-american.
During the commission of a crime, if someone dies even if not directly due to the actions of the criminal, the criminal can be charged with first degree murder. For example, if during a bank robbery one of the customers has a heart attack shortly afterwards and dies later in the hospital, the state will file first degree murder charges against the robbers.
TV stations' workers compensation insurance company: "Hmm. Let's see. OK, I guess this is compensable. But let's deny it anyway."
Thanks for the great video. Keep up the great work!!
I always thought the flight crew of a news chopper consisted of a pilot, an observer (reporter), and a cameraman. What a tragic, unnecessary accident.
Exactly what it should be, crew of 3, one to be a, “Spotter.”
Only these company bossy fools would force the multitasking. They should eliminate all the risk and use one drone at higher altitude than the police chopper.
@@jonnamechange6854 Drones... the way of the future... and we all know robots don't cry.
lol, since when in the history of America has the media ever acted responsibly??
@@CanadianSmokedrones are just as dangerous. They will interfere with cop choppers.
The guy who decided to give the pilot more responsibilities than the cameraman was an absolute genius!
just send up more choppers, problem solved
@@SoyAntonioGaming What could go wrong?
Board of Directors: “You mean we could save money on a camera operator if we just make the pilot do it?”
@@orangeapples But pilots are quite expensive. You could just make the camera operator fly the helicopter
@@nclsDesignScrew it, just the helicopter and camera do their own thing with no one attending it
Like how you added animation to this... Good job! I remember watching this live years ago, but this is better.... The positive side that came out of this was separation (altitude) rules... You can see this quite often when you watch the L.A. police chases... The police helicopters are far lower, and each news station (etc) helicopters are assigned a pre-determined altitude.. I do believe the separation is actually 500' AGL...
I remember seeing this on TV when this happened. Crazy how when you're a kid you don't really get the finality and gravity of death.
longtime viewer, I always appreciate you treating these sorts of topics respectfully. you don't overhype it, you don't add music to play with emotions, and you don't treat it like a show. you treat these topics like the tragedies they are, as topics to discuss and learn from. even when you manage to bring a slight amount of humor to it about the obvious and nonsensical systemic failures that contributed to the event, never punching downwards
Nick Crowley does that to a tee. The horror movie editing, the spooky music, the annoying fake youtuber voice, it really takes away from the event themselves.
Qxir is one of the best CZcamsrs
Yes
Qxir videos are works of art.
Thanks for the dose of self-righteousness church lady.
Its insane what the news channels had the pilots do. The pilots shouldn't have been expected to do this in the first place.
99% of the time, management doesn't care how dangerous a job is, they just ignore it to accomplish a given task with the least cost.
I know, I've worked under dangerous conditions that more people ($) and better equipment (more $) could have greatly improved, if anyone had cared.
R.I.P. if you can.
@@tinkerstrade3553 Not that they're angels, but there's some of that 99% who still take safety seriously. Sometimes it's only after something awful happens, but they still open their eyes. Others find profit motive in avoiding liabilities - realizing that more money spent on staff and equipment can save a lot in fines and lawsuits. Ridiculously dangerous workplaces exist for sure, but I've also seen quite a few bosses panic when they see sketchy work practices because of what it could cost them.
The pilots could have refused to do it, also.
@@johnd5398 it's not that I couldn't have refused, but my stomach overruled my good sense too often. I did step away at times. And depending on finances, took jobs where I controlled the danger. (Other workers often have the highest casualty rate in job accidents.) But every job has a risk, ask a drunk, burnt out accountant or a homeless Hollywood hero.
@@johnd5398i feel like someone will reply “then someone else will do it” but like, ok? Let them make a stupid decision.
Yall are getting a new sub just fornthr work yall put into this!!!!
Im so sorry for all involved and their families and friends 😢❤❤
I know this is a tragedy and definitely amounts to common sense as you put it, but it is nice to see that most stations seemed to adopt better standards after this without being forced to. It seems so common that companies are unwilling to change dangerous practices unless they absolutely have to.
I‘d argue that millions of people seeing this live DID force them to. This is the one kind of incident where you don’t need to pass a law to force it, the PR itself is a nightmare…
Yeah I’m really glad improvements were made
it made no sense to have the pilot be the commentator, especially when the reporter in the studio was seeing and commentating over him..
It was because it was expensive and in public.
@rd2680 oh absolutely, I know there were definitely less altruistic reasons behind the willingness to change. But then again, I've seen more publicized incidents that are worse where the company in charge doesn't care at all.
6:32 - That person really have a big empathy or they must've known each other, the heavy breath and the noises that sounds like crying at the end is actually pretty sad, may all of them rest in peace.
He knew all four very well. At the time, four of the five helicopter crews were housed in the same hanger with the fifth (ABC15 crew) housed in another hanger about a quarter mile away in the same airpark.
next time use more brain and keep awareness at 101% at all times.
@@SeltkirkTV
Who do you think you are talking to?
Everyone is dead
@@SeltkirkTV but they are asked to pilot a sophisticated machine while at the same time follow and report a developing story. Insanity.
@@headlesschicken175 your parents must've love you
I remember when this happened. I just got out of school and was watching this live on TV because i usually turn the TV on when I get home. I was living in Chandler which is a suburb of Phoenix and it was a huge tragedy here.
My mother was trying to record a show (I think a crime show) and the news came on of this. On that tape, the footage of the crash was on that tape.
6:30 “that’s channel 3” the sadness of seeing someone who meet minutes before you were talking to crash and die must have been so depressing rip to the 2 pilots
And the cameramen.
@@EdyAlbertoMSGT3cameramen aren't like real people so it doesn't matter. That's why when that dude starts blasting camera men while "filming a scene" they don't get charged... what's that guys name? Can't remember..
they were real people tho?
@@jlo7770
@@jlo7770is this satire?
@@jlo7770 God I hope you were being sarcastic 🙄
As a Phoenician born and raised I remember when this happened. Ultimately the local stations agreed that they would share the feed amongst each other to avoid a similar disaster in the future.
Considering this happened over downtown Phoenix it was a miracle more lives weren't lost. To this day there is a memorial in the park that the helos crashed in.
Unless someone knows Phoenix they would never realize the "miracle" it was for the crash to happen at Indian School Park!
Can you tell me if that was actual footage of the choppers going down? It looks real but I can't tell because the quality is not very good.
@@spacejunk76it was a sim
@@terrancecoard388thankfully it happened at a time in which Steele Indian School was empty. It would've been worse had it been a weekend or after regular work hours.
@@chrisS19019 lol I feel stupid, but I gotta say, that breakup looked pretty good.
So happy to hear new standards were put in place because of this
Sending 6 helicopters to monitor and broadcast a police chase...
Brilliant, America, brilliant.
Nothing more sadder than witnessing someone's last moment, then having to hear their last words
*more sad
@@ER-uy7ct🤓
not the point @@ER-uy7ct
@@ER-uy7ctThe only purpose of a language is to be able to understand another person’s thoughts.
If you understand someone enough to correct them without question, then is there even a reason to correct them?
@@ER-uy7ct*be better
That was an insane amount of multitasking to ask of anyone....holy shit
And the guy's reaction in the other choppers were heartbreaking.
Great content and love that trippy backdrop
Gets distracted??? Yeah having a helicopter slam into you is a little distracting lol, what amazing understatement
The horror those poor men experienced on the way down is unimaginable. Horrible accident that should never have happened.
Just needed to jump up just before hitting the ground!!
@@Anarchy-Is-Liberty yes like Wile E Coyote. Or have a parachute (but likely they were too injured or shocked by the crash with no time to do anything and no quick way out).
they perpetuated that sort of work environment. if they all refused, it would have to have been made safer. they carry as much of the blame as anyone else. its a shame they let greed blind them to common sense.
@@murrayshekelberg9754 it was common practice at the time. for whatever reason, no one really thought much about this practice. all the news stations knew it was cheaper and easier for them. they're the true greedy ones. as far as the reporters they can't just say "no" you know. it's their job, they needed to make their money, it's their basic income
I was hoping maybe they were knocked out by the crash, but I think some of them were alive. Horrible way to go. Enough time to say your prayers I hope
It seems totally bizarre that as recently as '07 it was deemed ok for a pilot to fly whilst simultaneously holding multiple conversations and watching action on the ground as well as the airspace around them; even though it was already widely known that phone use whilst driving a road vehicle increased risk. I think it's a miracle that there had not been more accidents of this nature.
Cops can't give a speeding ticket to a pilot. So if cops can't get income from it there will NEVER be safety regulations.
There are a damn sight more tight regulations for flying than for driving. How this crazy behaviour slipped through the net is nothing short of incredible.@@user-ml4en7wc6c
So sorry to hear about this. Peace to the families of those who died.😢
wow
I mean, wow
Good job putting all the footage together and the narration
This story still makes me so sad. My grandma lived in the Phoenix area when this happened, so I heard a lot about it from her and my mom. I don’t know if she witnessed it on live TV, but considering how much it upset her, she very well might have.
Did actually living in Phoenix make her more sympathetic?
The commentary from the other pilots reporting the crash must have been scarring to hear live
5 helicopters?????
@@TucsonDude She didn't live there until about the last ten years of her life and had plans to move elsewhere, but she died and had to cancel those plans.
@@McKeelixdid she cancel them AFTER death??
It's incredible the amount of sensory overload the pilots were subjected to. From the start they should have had someone in the copilot seat for the commentary.
Completely insane to have the pilot be responsible for watching and commentating on the ground events, when they are meant to be flying VFR.
I remember Craig Smith as one of the chopper reporters in Detroit. It was so shocking when he passed away.
I flew in LA as a pilot for a news station. We have an unwritten rule among the news pilots that the first one who gets there first pick the altitude, whoever gets there later, must pick another altitude 1000' higher.
I remember seeing this covered in the Nick Crowley video, but it feels like you went more in-depth into how exactly this could have happened. I had no idea the pilots had so much on their plate. It's no wonder that a crash between two news helicopters would happen eventually. It's sad hearing the dread of the pilot covering the crash, you can tell that he just watched his buddies die before his eyes.
I was wracking my brain trying to think if that was Nexpo or Shrouded Hand or Maverick Files thank you for remembering😂😂😂
Same. I was watching in Nick Crowley's before this one but it was quite hazy, I mean- his version was good but somehow when on this story, I can't get covered enough.
For someone which lives in other region where English wasn't native language, I depend on graphical representation for more understanding.
Yes, this is the first time for sure that I've heard such a good description of the true workload the pilots were under. The context sets up everything so amazingly compared to just watching the footage and reading about the causes afterward.
It happened twice in Japan
I'm glad you include the names and photos of the pilots/anchors and cameramen. It'd be really easy to make this a video about a "cool" fiery helicopter crash, but you honored the people who died with the details of their unobtainable obligations as well as closing the video with their memory.
You're a legitimately solid person, Qxir.
Literally nobody would think a fiery helicopter crash that people died in would be “cool”
@@fatfreddyscoat7564Clearly you’ve never been on tiktok or twitter.
@@fatfreddyscoat7564 You must be new to the world to believe that. I envy your innocence.
Not only do many people of that nature exist, but such people would lament this video for honoring the dead instead of sensationalizing the gore.
The crashes were fiery but mostly peaceful.
@@jeremysteele3098Define "mostly peaceful".
2 helicopters crash into each other and there’s panicked screaming
Reporter: huh, we don’t know what just happened there
Absolutely wrenching to hear someone give live commentary of their friends' deaths. Man was in shock.
Wow, I had no idea piloting and reporting at the same time was ever done by anyone much less knowing it was this common. Yeah , it seems pretty dangerous to have that many helicopters in proximity like that, especially if all of them have 4 things they're doing at the same time.
Imagine having 5 news vans plus a police car barreling down the highway chasing a guy, except all the drivers are REQUIRED to text while driving. Crazy how it's never occurred to anyone that it might be a bad idea.
The proximity of the helicopters was reason enough not to do this - I'm frankly amazed it was ever permitted.
Both of the reporter’s words, just before the fatal crash, eerily prophesied what was happening. “This may be the end of this thing” and “they’re closing in” 😢
Fetal? Did some infants crash together?
Ugh
"Don't hire him, he's not worth that much, my uncle can fly the chopper, narrate, and film the chase for half of what that guy is asking"
As tragic as it was, it's astoundingly lucky that they were over an open area at the time, with all those buildings that they could have come down upon.
The pilot said “this guy doesn’t care what he hits” right before hitting people in a helicopter. Crazy
It's insane that they would try to charge the criminal with the deaths as if he caused them to crash into one another.
Yanks love vengeance as justice
Drunk drivers ge charged even when someone walks out in front of the car
@@mattd6085 because vengeance is purely only an american thing right?
@@mattd6085 I’ll get you for that insinuation 😅
@mattd6085 The rest of the world is a utopia by comparison Am I rIGhT?
I live in Phoenix ,I was in California on vacation and I remember telling my wife to get in here I saw it on the news their, a drone is way cheaper, safer, and better footage!
There have been *three* helicopter crashes involving news stations. This one, one in Seattle at the base of the Space Needle, and one on Mt. Hood, where Portland's Channel 8 caught a military rescue helicopter crash mid-rescue.
Yea, I was watching that live and knew exactly what happened when i heard the pilot. As a former pilot (fixed wing) it amazes me that the work load placed on this pilots and crews was ever allowed in the first place! It was a miracle that they came down in the Steel Indian Park. Extremely congested area around the park anf they could have been many more fatalities anf injuries.
Breaks my heart still seeing these. These men weren't just part of the news community but aviation as well. To think they died for really...such a senseless thing...like cops chasing a sumbag criminal... hardly seems worth it.
5 helicopters in the same airspace is insane, especially when the pilot is multitasking when he should keeping a vigilant lookout. The plunge to the ground after impact would have been pure terror for the 4 men.
Terrifying yes, but once you hit the ground it's over very quickly.
They wanted credit for a great story and became a great story.
“We love dirty laundry!”
It must have been a traumatic experience for the other remaining helicopter crews knowing two helicopters containing a total of four individuals, more than likely their friends whom they have worked with and known for years covering and reporting events suddenly end up in two fireballs in a park who got involved in a horrific midair collision.
The video mentioned that they knew each other personally. The small-airplane community is tight knit, when someone goes down it's a major impact on the whole community. I don't know about helicopters but that's probably an even smaller community.
The response of the other pilots even just the short bit we get is so crushing.
I remember watching it live that day I was a 11th grader who loved watching cop chase shows like this and news reports like this I just never expected to lose one of the coolest reporters ever that day
I remember watching it live,it still bugs Me.😢
Having a pilot handling any responsibilities besides piloting is insane. ESPECIALLY, in a helicopter. The focus required for flying safely can be intense, even more so in a helicopter below 1,000 feet.
@@rlyybro4435 And your comment added so much to the conversation 🙄
@munkustrap2 Stop whining and using emojis like a teenage cheerleader.
It's so sad how one day you can plan out how you're gonna spend time with your friends, family, or to yourself, only for something so unexpected to cut it short. It's terrifying and I feel awful for the pilots and their families.
If they weren't mawkish, vouyeristic scum, they'd be alive.
Those moments are special *precisely* because our lives are finite.
Their risk of death was a lot higher than yours is at any given point
Well, being hundreds to thousands of feet in the air definitely could increase your chances of dying to a random event
Uhm... do stupid things win stupid prizes? Did it not occur to these pilots there was a high chance of this happening? Seems like a very stupid idea to me and I don't even fly. And the cameramen riding with them, nobody forced them into those helicopters. Greed all around.
You missed the part where you can literally hear the pilot screaming on the way down just as the news room is potting-down his audio. This is at the very beginning of your video (aprox. 0:15). Also, there is additional footage from the individual news broadcasts which feature unidentified individuals in the studio screaming as they realize what has just occurred involving their news choppers.
News stations, and hospitals, tend to acquire helicopters just to avoid falling behind their competitors. Sharing helicopters keeps the competition equal, but that isn't a good thing when the goal is to be first. Proper staffing of the helicopter is the best, and most expensive, solution.
"Absolutely unbelievable. This guy doesn't care what he hits."
Then proceeds to drive his helicopter into another.....lol
My heartfelt condolences to the families of all the deceased men.Absolute tragedy......
the results of greedy men accepting absurdly overcomplicated tasks
They all deserved what they got. I only feel sorry for any of their kids. 5 comms channels plus flying the helicopter plus reporting... everyone in the air should have known this was an eventuality.
When did this happen
@@LIVE_Concerts_STL 2007,very sad.....
@@crispy9175"they deserve what they got"
They deserved to die because their job told them to do something overcomplicated and they obliged?
Amazing how a woman can do the most evil thing but her being harmed in any way is evil. Meanwhile wishing death on men for nothing is completely okay
This is why many TV markets now use one hired helicopter for live sky shots. It only makes sense, since they are all trying to achieve the same goal, covering a story from the air.
I was at the park when this happened 😭cry😢😢😢😢😢 Just the loud crash sound when they first collided was chilling and to see this live was even worse 😢😢😢😢 NEVER WILL FORGET
That one reporter struggling with breath and getting dizzy while still trying to cover the story always sends a chill down my spine
Probably third time I hear about this story
And I can just tell that one reporter is close to passing out
The fact that he "this may be the end of this thing" moments before those words came true in the worst way possible and the amount of people who knew the men well as well as anyone watching at the time that witnessed that...what a horrible thing to happen, sadly it was inevitable with the way they were operating.
All 5 news stations having their own helicopter strikes me as hilarious
5:15 "Absolutely unbelievable. This guy doesn't care what he hits." Famous last words that didnt age so well.