Seattle News Helicopter Crashes Into Two Cars And Bursts Into Flames

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Jalopnik, Seattle Times

A news chopper just crashed on top of two cars and exploded into flames in Seattle. More as we have it.



A video of the crash aftermath is below. Fair warning, it shows a live accident scene, of which there are likely injuries at the very least:

Read more: http://jalopnik.com/seattle-news-helicopter-crashes-into-two-cars-and-burst-1546338943

---

Helicopter crashes near Fisher Plaza and KOMO TV

March 18, 2014 at 7:55 AM
Helicopter crashes near Fisher Plaza and KOMO TV
Posted by Nick Provenza

A TV helicopter has crashed near Fisher Plaza and KOMO TV, just south of the Seattle Center

A large plume of dark smoke is rising from the crash site.

The helicopter hit two cars when it hit the ground.

Seattle Fire and police have closed some streets in the area.

[jsr]

1. Right next to their news room

[MADem]

2. An argument for a "news drone"--or a new "unmanned aerial vehicle."

It would give viewers the very same pictures, it would be smaller, so if it crashed, it would just bounce off the roof of a car and get run over, not create a separate accident.

Sample:

[itsrobert]

4. As long as it can be overrided by government operators

I wouldn't want to be in a world with a press running amok without government controls.

[MADem]

11. Well, I realize with all that white space you are snarking, but the idea is to give them some sort

of FCC/FAA certification. They're a bit behind the technology on this score, though.

My point is that there wouldn't be a mess of dead people and a fire happening if they got the exact same pictures off of a smaller, less fuel intensive platform.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Why not? It's almost 2015....

[MADem]

12. It's happening already. The only questions that remain are how the new technology is to be

regulated.

Protesting the existence or use of these things is like sitting on a horse, shaking a fist holding a buggy whip at cars.

They aren't coming, they are here.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. It's when they start to look like this....

[MADem]

18. You KNOW that's happening, too, already!!

The future is going to be a really, really interesting place ....

[Spitfire of ATJ]

23. We were supposed to have antigravity by now....

Instead, we have robots that sound like a leaf blower.

[DeadLetterOffice]

33. I know, right? Where's my damn hovercar? I was *promised* a hovercar!!! n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

37. Or at LEAST a hovercraft....

[MADem]

40. Or a hoverboard....!

The dream....

&feature=youtu.be


The reality....

[kentauros]

43. You can always build your own:

[Spitfire of ATJ]

44. Remember this?

[kentauros]

45. No,

but I did like your image from the original Johnny Quest!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

46. Google "Major Matt Mason"....

From the first generation of Captain Crunch sugar junkies.

[kentauros]

47. Okay, I vaguely remember it.

I would have been only seven at the time

[Spitfire of ATJ]

48. I was around 10....

Grew up in Lompoc watching rockets launch from my back yard.

We were supposed to have a moon base by now.

Instead, we hear Republicans claim we can't afford to pay for sick people.

[kentauros]

49. Wow, you got to actually watch launches!

The closest I got to that was growing up across the road from NASA-JSC, and going to school with the astronauts' kids. Although the Aldrins did live on the street behind us so it was fun watching the media circus when they landed on the Moon

The problem with republicans having anything to do with the space program is that they aren't educated enough to understand its full impact. What's then perplexing about that is the constituents in and around NASA-JSC are mostly republicans. And they wonder why NASA's budget is always questioned or cut

[Spitfire of ATJ]

50. What they hated about the space program was the whole idea of "for all mankind"....

The entire human family on a tiny, insignificant dot doesn't fit with their hate fest for all things that are not christian white male,...and conservative.

[MADem]

54. O....M....Geeeeee!!!!! That was gut-bustingly funny!

I love that programme but I never saw that particular episode. The last bit in Stratford with the bridges and the hapless boaters... priceless!

[freshwest]

51. There's a solution! Don't stress, puny human!

[brooklynite]

7. Live feed...

http://www.king5.com/live-stream/pop-up-ads/Watch-live-now-116248999.html

[MADem]

14. Horrific. What a mess, and the families of the victims must be devastated.

A news drone's impact would be "That asshole drone scratched my new car's paint! I'm gonna sue!"

[countryjake]

38. "We don't get our pop flies cleared either"

US lags as commercial drones take off around globe

http://www.komonews.com/news/national/US-lags-as-commercial-drones-take-off-around-globe-250524691.html

A small, four-rotor drone hovered over Washington Nationals players for a few days during spring training in Florida last month, taking publicity photos impossible for a human photographer to capture. But no one got the Federal Aviation Administration's permission first.

"No, we didn't get it cleared, but we don't get our pop flies cleared either and those go higher than this thing did," a team official said when contacted by The Associated Press. The drone flights ceased the next day. The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be named.

The agency bars commercial use of drones no matter how seemingly benign. The lone exception is an oil company that has been granted permission to fly drones over the Arctic Ocean, and it took an act of Congress to win that concession.

FAA officials say rules to address the special safety challenges associated with unmanned aircraft need to be in place before they can share the sky with manned aircraft. The agency has worked on those regulations for the past decade and is still months and possibly years away from issuing final rules for small drones, which are defined as those weighing less than 55 pounds. Rules for larger drones are even further off.

[MADem]

39. People are going to operate under existing rules until a new set are drafted...! nt

[freshwest]

52. So the drone is the source of that sound like a mosquito? UGH! n/t

[MADem]

53. It sounds worse because the camera is close to the power source. It doesn't sound so loud to the

people on the ground.

They still have a ways to go before they make the commercial ones totally silent.

The videos I posted elsewhere (of the larger ones) show them working on the mechanics of the business.

Getting the things to run and jump and be agile, etc.

The "power plant" will change in time--the idea isn't to have internal combustion engines on these things, they'll go to electric/batteries when their vision is operational---but it's absolutely astounding how far they've come in such a relatively brief time.

I can remember seeing "exoskeleton" suits several decades ago and they're NUTHIN' like what they've got going on these days! It's amazing stuff!

[PoliticAverse]

3. "2 killed in news helicopter crash near Seattle Center"

http://www.king5.com/news/local/News-helicopter-crashes-at-Seattle-Center-250789981.html

Two people have been killed after a news helicopter crashed on top of at least three vehicles outside Seattle Center Tuesday morning and caught fire. A third person was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

The crash happened in the 400 block of Broad Street next to Fisher Plaza, which is home to KOMO-TV.

KOMO confirmed that it is their helicopter. The helicopter was being used in a joint partnership between KOMO and KING 5.

[JackInGreen]

6. I work in Beltown off of broad.

and got off work at 7am, I was there an hour ago.
My people are going to have a hell of a day.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. Looks like Broad is closed for the investigation.

The backup should clear by tomorrow morning.

[valerief]

8. If only there were more guns there. nt

[snooper2]

20. I think you posted this response in the wrong thread

[valerief]

36. No, more guns make the world a safer place. Guns in nurseries, guns in ICUs, guns in

cemeteries, guns everywhere. At least, that's what the gungeoneers tell me. You see, death doesn't matter to them, just guns.

On a serious note, this is a sad story.

[MADem]

41. It was a NEWS helo, not a warfighting one.

You know, checking the traffic, that kind of thing...?

[snooper2]

42. I still don't know what you are talking about-

This thread is about a crash between a flying vehicle and ground based travel FYI

[icymist]

10. Two confirmed dead, One 37 year old man in critical condition.

People were sitting in their cars at a stop light when the helicopter crashed in front of them. The gas from the copter spread among the cars and began to light everything on fire. (per witness account) So far, on the news I saw three vehicles burnt out on the ground, two cars and a pickup truck. There are tarps being put up around some of the cars. Helicopters Inc., who owns this helicopter is saying it hit a crane. This is not the permanent helicopter for komo news, the building it took off of, but is a rental. The permanent copter is currently being fitted with new cameras.

http://www.komonews.com/radio

[countryjake]

19. They're saying the 38 yr old guy was in the red car...

Last edited Tue Mar 18, 2014, 03:18 PM - Edit history (1)

self-extricated himself from his vehicle after the news helicopter crashed right on top of his car. Fireman says he has life-threatening injuries, burns over 50% of his body.

Dan Lewis is now at the anchor desk and his voice is shaking, so emotional. I don't know how he can do his job for this. They've lost two from their news family.

(on edit)
It's being reported now that the 38 yr old victim from the red car has burns over almost 20% of his body and his condition at Harborview has been upgraded to serious.

[icymist]

21. Everyone in the news community in Seattle is shaken up right now.

Most likely it was a pilot and a camera man. This is just in front of the Space Needle and the EMP center during rush hour. It's a wonder more people didn't get hurt!

For KOMO news:

[countryjake]

24. Clark Stahl is on the phone right now, calling in from Arizona...

he's the KIRO 7 helicopter pilot and he's discussing with Dan Lewis the risks involved in flying around downtown Seattle. Offered his condolences to the KOMO News family.

There are questions now on whether the helicopter may have struck a crane. I had heard when it was breaking news that a witness thought they got tangled in a tree. Copter fell straight down after lift-off, landed on its side. NTSB is due to arrive any minute now to conduct the investigation. Mayor Murray is also coming to the scene.

Evidently, KING 5 shared service with the KOMO 4 news helicopter.

I can't imagine how Dan Lewis is able to be doing this anchoring. He is too sad. I wonder why they didn't just bring Brad Goode back on.

[icymist]

27. Yeah, Travis Mayfield is in tears on channel 13 right now.

The news community in all of Seattle is shaken.

[countryjake]

28. Longtime news photographer, Bill Strothman...

and helicopter pilot, Gary Pfitzner, are the reported victims in the helicopter crash this morning in downtown Seattle.

Many tears in WA today.


Veteran news photographer, Bill Strothman


The crash scene



https://twitter.com/search?had_popular=true&q=liveonkomo

[mahatmakanejeeves]

34. In the upper right hand corner of the second picture,

Last edited Wed Mar 19, 2014, 09:44 AM - Edit history (4)

a portion of a tower crane can be seen, specifically the concrete blocks that are used as a counterweight on the crane's counter-jib. The helicopter came down next to a construction site. I have read the theory that the helicopter came into contact with a construction crane. This one is still upright, so if that theory is true, then the helicopter hit some other crane.

Here is a picture of a helicopter (but maybe not the one that crashed; see the edit) taking off from the helipad on top of the KOMO-TV building. It was taken on December 4, 2013 - three and a half months ago.

KOMO helicopter taking off



Photo by Frank Fujimoto

ETA, on Wednesday: In this thread's post #10, icymist reported:

People were sitting in their cars at a stop light when the helicopter crashed in front of them. The gas from the copter spread among the cars and began to light everything on fire. (per witness account) So far, on the news I saw three vehicles burnt out on the ground, two cars and a pickup truck. There are tarps being put up around some of the cars. Helicopters Inc., who owns this helicopter is saying it hit a crane. This is not the permanent helicopter for komo news, the building it took off of, but is a rental. The permanent copter is currently being fitted with new cameras.

http://www.komonews.com/radio

[countryjake]

35. KIRO 7 helicopter pilot, Clark Stahl, discussed that in his phone call...

to Dan Lewis. He was saying that since preliminary witness reports describe the helicopter going straight down, a nose dive, almost immediately after lift-off, that tells him that something was wrong with the tail rotor. Mechanical failure probable.

Clark has flown helicopters since 1967, Army medivac in Nam, and he knows his stuff

[icymist]

13. Press conference any moment now. nt

[icymist]

17. Per the press conference with Kyle Moore of the Seattle Fire Dept.:

The two dead are in the helicopter. The 37 year old man emerged from the red car, his suit on flames, has been airlifter to Harborview Hospital in critical condition. The woman who was in the blue car emerged unharmed and is at the police precinct talking with officers there. The man who emerged from the pickup truck was last seen going into the McDonald's across the street and hasn't been seen since. The bodies of the deceased are still under the tarps and will remain there until the NTSB and coroner complete their investigations. The next of kin of the deceased will be notified through KOMO News, after the coroner releases them.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. The driver of the white truck fled the scene on foot.

[uppityperson]

22. aw, fuck. eom

[countryjake]

25. exactly.

I've been saying the same thing for the past hour and half.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

26. Morning News: KOMO Helicopter Crash Near Space Needle at Seattle Center

Morning News: KOMO Helicopter Crash Near Space Needle at Seattle Center

[countryjake]

29. "one of Seattle’s finest television news photographers"

2 die in news helicopter crash near Space Needle

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023160044_komocrashxml.html

KOMO-TV identified one of those killed as Bill Strothman, 62, a longtime station photographer who now works as a contractor for KOMO. The station identified the second victim as the pilot, Gary Pfitzner, 59, also a contractor.

Strothman was “one of Seattle’s finest television news photographers,” said Peter Mongilo, a KOMO-TV photographer. “He respected his profession. He respected the people he covered and photography was his passion.”

The helicopter, which apparently was taking off around 7:40 a.m., dropped to the ground, landing on at least one car that burst into flames on Broad Street. A second car and a pickup were on fire when firefighters arrived, but it isn’t clear if they had been hit by the helicopter or ignited by the fuel, according to the Fire Department.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

30. Were any news helicopters covering the story?

Every station seems to have at least one of them, and they never seem to add any "news" to whatever story they cover.

Sympathy to the relatives.

[Tripper11]

55. no choppers covered the event

KIRO's chopped was grounded immediately, by the station. KING was, per article, sharing KOMO's chopper, and Q13 doesn't have one.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

31. Photo gallery

Seattle news helicopter crash: 'Ball of flames'

[yuiyoshida]

32. Sad Story

K&R