News Helicopter Crash Kills Two Crew Members
NEW JERSEY – According to multiple reports, a 6ABC Action News helicopter has crashed into a wooded area of New Jersey, killing both crew members on board.
The pilot and the photographer part of the 6ABC team were returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore on Tuesday night when the helicopter crashed, the news outlet announced.
6ABC has not yet released the names of the two crew members as family members are still being notified, but have said both of them “have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years.”
The helicopter went down sometime after 8 pm in the area of Quaker Bridge Atsion Road and Middle Road in Washington Township in Burlington County.
The chopper was last believed to be in the area over Wharton State Forest when it crashed.
While New Jersey State Police troopers were able to locate the crash site, it was difficult to access due to the densely wooded location, the station reported.
The US Helicopters Inc. has been in touch with the two families of the people killed in the crash, and the FAA has been notified and will investigate what happened.
It is currently unclear what caused the crash.
The helicopter was a 10-year-old American Eurocopter AS-360A-STAR, which 6ABC leases from US Helicopters Inc.
The chopper and those who manned it would capture footage for the station, such as areas that are difficult to reach, weather, beauty shots, and traffic backup, all of which the station said were essential to delivering news stories.