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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Deaths in US TV helicopter crash | Deaths in US TV helicopter crash |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Four people have died after two helicopters, owned by rival US television channels, collided in mid-air while covering a car chase. | Four people have died after two helicopters, owned by rival US television channels, collided in mid-air while covering a car chase. |
| Both helicopters went down in Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, Arizona, and caught fire as they were covering the police pursuit of a pick-up truck. | Both helicopters went down in Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, Arizona, and caught fire as they were covering the police pursuit of a pick-up truck. |
| Everyone on board the two craft was killed. No-one on the ground was hurt. | Everyone on board the two craft was killed. No-one on the ground was hurt. |
| Within moments of the collision, other TV news helicopters were broadcasting pictures of the burning wreckage. | Within moments of the collision, other TV news helicopters were broadcasting pictures of the burning wreckage. |
| Viewers did not see the accident as both cameras were pointed towards the ground. | Viewers did not see the accident as both cameras were pointed towards the ground. |
| Broken images | Broken images |
| As a driver led police on a high-speed chase through Phoenix, helicopters from five local TV stations were covering the incident live. | As a driver led police on a high-speed chase through Phoenix, helicopters from five local TV stations were covering the incident live. |
| I looked up and I see this 'boom', and I see one of the helicopters coming down Mary Lewis | |
| The driver jumped a set of traffic lights, hit several cars and then drove along the pavement before abandoning his vehicle and car-jacking another. | The driver jumped a set of traffic lights, hit several cars and then drove along the pavement before abandoning his vehicle and car-jacking another. |
| As the cameras zoomed in on the action, KNXV news reporter Craig Smith, who died in the collision, said "Oh geez!" and the screen went blank. | As the cameras zoomed in on the action, KNXV news reporter Craig Smith, who died in the collision, said "Oh geez!" and the screen went blank. |
| Viewers caught a jumble of broken images before the stations cut back to the studio. | Viewers caught a jumble of broken images before the stations cut back to the studio. |
| Mary Lewis, who saw the incident, said: "I looked up and I see this 'boom,' and I see one of the helicopters coming down, and I said 'Oh my God'." | Mary Lewis, who saw the incident, said: "I looked up and I see this 'boom,' and I see one of the helicopters coming down, and I said 'Oh my God'." |
| The two helicopters crashed to earth near a boarded-up church in Steele Indian School Park. | The two helicopters crashed to earth near a boarded-up church in Steele Indian School Park. |
| Fire-fighters rushed to the scene as thick, black smoke rose from the burning wreckage. | Fire-fighters rushed to the scene as thick, black smoke rose from the burning wreckage. |
| The driver involved in the car chase was later detained by police after he had barricaded himself inside a house. | The driver involved in the car chase was later detained by police after he had barricaded himself inside a house. |
| 'Very professional' | 'Very professional' |
| The local TV station KNXV, the ABC affiliate in Phoenix, said it owned one of the helicopters while the other was operated by the local independent channel, KTVK. | The local TV station KNXV, the ABC affiliate in Phoenix, said it owned one of the helicopters while the other was operated by the local independent channel, KTVK. |
| Journalists aboard the helicopter of a local Fox channel, KSAZ, said the two aircraft had been flying below two others from Channel 12 News and KPHO, a CBS affiliate, when they collided. | Journalists aboard the helicopter of a local Fox channel, KSAZ, said the two aircraft had been flying below two others from Channel 12 News and KPHO, a CBS affiliate, when they collided. |
| The president of the Radio Television News Directors Association, Barbara Cochran, said she could not recall a previous incidence of two news helicopters colliding whilst covering a story. | The president of the Radio Television News Directors Association, Barbara Cochran, said she could not recall a previous incidence of two news helicopters colliding whilst covering a story. |
| "These pilots, they are very professional. They combine the skills of pilots and skills as journalists," she told the Associated Press. | "These pilots, they are very professional. They combine the skills of pilots and skills as journalists," she told the Associated Press. |
| The BBC's David Willis in Los Angeles says police pursuits are fertile material for many US TV stations and have proved popular with viewers. | The BBC's David Willis in Los Angeles says police pursuits are fertile material for many US TV stations and have proved popular with viewers. |
| In Los Angeles, a service exists whereby viewers, in return for a monthly subscription, are paged every time a pursuit is being shown. | In Los Angeles, a service exists whereby viewers, in return for a monthly subscription, are paged every time a pursuit is being shown. |