NMAC. NEWS HELI RUSHING TO 'CHASE SCENE' ENCOUNTERED AN ACR ACFT CLBING OUT OF BUR. ACR FLC FILED COMPLAINT WITH BUR TWR AND FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION.

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I WAS FLYING ONE OF THE NEWS MEDIA HELIS; ON FEB/XX/96 AT ABOUT XX00 LCL TIME THE CAMERA MAN RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE NEWS DESK REQUESTING AN IMMEDIATE LAUNCH TO A HIGH SPD PURSUIT LOCATED IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. WE LAUNCHED FROM HAWTHORNE ARPT; PROCEEDING NBOUND TO THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. UPON REACHING STONE CANYON RESERVOIR W OF K-JOY RADIO TWR AT WHICH TIME I CONTACTED BURBANK TWR ON FREQ 118.70 RPTING MY LOCATION W OF K-JOY TWR AT 2000 FT AND REQUESTED A TRANSITION DUE N. TWR REPLIED TRANSITION APPROVED. I THEN ENTERED THE CLASS C AIRSPACE PROCEEDING NBOUND. A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE TWR RPTED HELI TFC AT 1300 FT. I REPLIED AB LOOKING FOR TFC. WHILE I WAS W ABEAM OF THE ARPT; THE TWR ADVISED OF A Y AIRLINES B737 ON FINAL APCH ON RWY 15. I REPLIED AB TFC IN SIGHT. UPON REACHING THE VICINITY SE OF THE 5-170 INTERCHANGE; BURBANK TWR CONTACTED ME ASKING IF I WOULD BE PROCEEDING TOWARD WHITEMAN. I REPLIED 'YES.' THE AIR TFC CTLR SAID AB TURN L; THEN CORRECTED HIMSELF AND SAID TURN TOWARD THE FOUR STACKS FREQ CHANGE TO WHITEMAN APPROVED. AT WHICH TIME I CHANGED FREQ TO WHITEMAN TWR FREQ 135.00. RPTED APCHING FOUR STACKS; WOULD LIKE TO JOIN UP WITH THE GAGGLE OF HELIS IN THE PURSUIT ALONG THE 210 FREEWAY. WHITEMAN AIR TFC CTLR CLRED ME INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; WHITEMAN TWR CONTACTED ME AND CLRED ME TO INTERCEPT THE GAGGLE OF HELIS; FREQ CHANGE APPROVED. A FEW MOMENTS AFTER THE TWR'S LAST XMISSION; I SPOTTED THE X TFC AT MY 1 O'CLOCK POS AT A HIGHER ALT. THE LOCATION WAS HANSEN FLOOD CTL BASIN WHICH IS LOCATED IN WHITEMAN AIRSPACE. I THEN MADE AN EXAGGERATED TURN TO INDICATE TO THAT ACFT THAT I HAD VISUAL CONTACT AND MAINTAINED SEPARATION. I THEN INTERCEPTED THE GAGGLE. AT ABOUT XY00 LCL I WAS NOTIFIED UPON RETURNING TO OUR BASE LOCATED AT VAN NUYS ARPT THAT BURBANK TWR HAD REQUESTED I CALL REGARDING THE ABOVE MENTIONED INCIDENT. DUE TO THE EXTREME AMOUNT OF NEWS COVERAGE THAT DAY; AND THE TIME DELAY IN RECEIVING THE MESSAGE FROM BURBANK TWR; I WAS NOT IN COM WITH THEM UNTIL QUITE SOME TIME LATER. I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A 4 HR WINDOW FOR COMMUNICATING WITH THEM; AND AFTER THAT AMOUNT OF TIME HAD ELAPSED; THEY WERE REQUIRED TO FILE A COMPLAINT AS PER THE REQUEST OF THE OTHER PLT EMPLOYED BY X AIRLINE. SOME OF THE INFO RPTED HERE WAS OBTAINED FROM BURBANK TWR AFTER A FACT FINDING MEETING. WHAT I PERCEIVED CAUSED THE PROB: 1) DURING MY ENTIRE TRANSITION THROUGH BURBANK'S AIRSPACE THERE WAS NEVER ANY MENTION OF THE X TFC. WHEN BURBANK GAVE THE FREQ CHANGE TO WHITEMAN THERE WAS NO MENTION OF ANY TFC THAT MAY BE OF CONCERN TO ME. 2) WHITEMAN DOES NOT HAVE RADAR; AND THEREFORE WAS NOT ABLE TO ADVISE REGARDING THE AIRLINE TFC. HOWEVER; BURBANK DOES HAVE RADAR AND WAS IN A POS TO ADVISE MYSELF; WHITEMAN AS WELL AS THE X FLT. HOWEVER; THIS WAS NOT DONE; NO ONE WAS NOTIFIED. 3) UPON JOINING THE GAGGLE; THE ENTIRE GROUP FOLLOWED THE CAR CHASE ALONG THE 210 FREEWAY WHICH REQUIRED THE ENTIRE GAGGLE TO ENTER BURBANK AIRSPACE. AT THIS POINT I; ALONG WITH THE GAGGLE; ENTERED BURBANK AIRSPACE WHICH WAS AFTER THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE X AIRLINE TFC. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE GAGGLE WAS CLRED TO ENTER THIS AREA OF THE BURBANK AIRSPACE; HAVING BEEN HANDED OFF FROM WHITEMAN TO BURBANK TWR. THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A DEV ON MY PART. SUMMARY: IT IS MY OPINION THAT; IN ORDER TO HAVE AVOIDED THE ABOVE SIT; THE BURBANK TWR WOULD HAVE HAD TO ADVISE BOTH ACFT AS WELL AS WHITEMAN OF THEIR RESPECTIVE LOCATIONS; REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE ON VFR. THIS WAS NOT IN MY OPINION A NEAR MISS; AS UPON VISUAL OF THE OTHER ACFT BOTH PLTS WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE SEPARATION.