Investigation Summary
On the afternoon of July 27, 2007, five news helicopters and one police helicopter were orbiting a stolen flatbed truck involved in a high-speed chase through Phoenix. The news pilots were operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) within Class B airspace, which placed the responsibility for aircraft separation entirely on the pilots. In addition to flying, the pilots for KNXV and KTVK were acting as their stations' primary reporters, providing live play-by-play commentary to viewers. This required them to monitor the ground target through camera monitors while managing up to five different communication channels: air traffic control, a common news-pilot frequency, police scanners, their respective newsrooms, and internal crew intercoms. As the suspect transitioned from the truck to a foot chase and then attempted to hijack another vehicle, the intensity of the reporting increased. During this critical moment, the KNXV helicopter (N215TV) struck the KTVK helicopter (N613TV) from behind. The impact caused both aircraft to break apart and fall into a public park. The investigation highlighted that the 'see-and-avoid' principle was compromised by the high workload and 'reporting-while-piloting' culture prevalent in the Phoenix news market at the time.
Final Conclusions
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the probable cause was the failure of both pilots to see and avoid the other helicopter. Contributing to the accident was the pilots' divided responsibility to perform reporting and visual tracking duties while operating the aircraft. The NTSB also cited a lack of formal procedures for Phoenix-area Electronic News Gathering (ENG) operations to ensure safe separation in crowded news environments.
Video Analysis
News Chopper Gets Distracted, Crashes on Live TV | Last Moments — A detailed look at the 2007 Phoenix mid-air collision between KNXV and KTVK news helicopters, including live broadcast footage and the NTSB findings regarding pilot distraction.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Systems & Failure Modes
Electronic News Gathering (ENG)
The suite of cameras, microwave transmitters, and multi-channel radios used to broadcast live from the helicopter, which significantly increased pilot workload.
Sharp Echo Protocols
Existing voluntary radio communication protocols between news pilots and Phoenix control tower intended to coordinate activity, which proved insufficient to prevent the collision.
Interesting Facts
- 01The collision involved two Eurocopter AS-350 B2 AStar helicopters.
- 02All four people on board both aircraft—pilots Craig Smith and Scott Bowerbank, and photographers Rick Krolak and Jim Cox—were killed.
- 03The pilots were operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and were responsible for their own separation.
- 04At the time of the crash, the pilots were providing live commentary on a suspect attempting to hijack a second vehicle.
- 05No one on the ground was injured despite the crash occurring in a public park.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Separation of Duties
Phoenix news stations implemented a policy where pilots are no longer permitted to report or provide commentary while flying; their sole responsibility is aircraft operation.
Helicopter Sharing
Major Phoenix television stations moved to a pool system to reduce congestion. While the market initially transitioned to two shared aircraft, more recent reports indicate the stations now share a single helicopter.
Technological Improvements
Adoption of long-range camera lenses allowed helicopters to maintain a greater distance (500 to 1000 feet of altitude separation) from news sites and each other.