Accident Overview
On July 27, 2007, at about 1246 mountain standard time, two electronic news gathering helicopters, registered as N613TV and N215TV, collided in midair over Phoenix, Arizona. Both aircraft were Eurocopter AS350B2 models. N613TV was operated by KTVK-TV (channel 3), and N215TV was operated by U.S. Helicopters, Inc., under contract to KNXV-TV (channel 15). Each helicopter carried a pilot-reporter and a photographer, totaling four occupants. All four were killed, and the helicopters were destroyed by impact forces and a subsequent fire.
Operational Context
The helicopters were maneuvering while covering a police pursuit at the time of the collision. They were operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and no flight plans had been filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Aftermath
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident and published its report as NTSB/AAR-09/02. The full report is available on the NTSB website.