2 killed in Philly station helicopter crash

A news helicopter being used by Philadelphia’s ABC-owned station WPVI crashed Dec. 19, 2023, killing the two people on board.

The chopper was being operated for 6ABC’s Action News with a photographer and pilot on board around 8 p.m. local time.

The duo was returning from an assignment near Jersey Shore when it crashed in Washington Township, New Jersey.

The crash site is in a remote area of Wharton State Forest and preliminary data shows that the chopper lost elevation twice in the time leading up to the crash. Data also shows it struck trees as it dropped out of the air.

The victims of the crash have been identified as pilot Monroe Smith, 67, and the photographer Christopher Dougherty, 45. Both have been part of the Action News family for “years.”

Other staffers are mourning the loss.

“Our hearts are just broken for these men. They’re broken for their families,” reporter Katherine Scott said on air. “We just can’t believe this has happened.”

So far, both the FAA and NTSB have been dispatched to the scene. The cause of the accident is so far unknown. 

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Once investigators complete an on-scene survey, the wreckage will be transported to a secure facility for further inspection and analysis. 

The craft, which is branded as Chopper 6, is an American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR.

Like many newsgathering helicopters in the U.S., the station does not own the craft directly. Instead, it contracts with U.S. Helicopters Inc. to manage the operate the helicopter.

WPVI reporter that U.S. Helicopters has reached out to the victims’ families.

Unfortunately, crashes involving news helicopters are no stranger to TV newsrooms around the world, so much so that Wikipedia has a page dedicated to a list of them.