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Phoenix News Choppers Collide

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Jul 28, 2007 11:23 AM CDT

(Newser) – Television reporters had to focus on their own yesterday, after a pair of news choppers from different stations collided over a Phoenix park, killing two pilots and two photographers. Both choppers were sending live footage of a police chase involving a stolen truck. "There was a huge boom," said one eyewitness who was almost directly below.

Colleagues on the ground were shocked. Jeff Cochran, one of the first cameramen to capture the tragedy, was a friend of one of the victims. Though accustomed to covering  tragedies, this time it hit "too close to home...Now I know how everybody else feels," he told the AP. Other reporters wiped away tears as they covered the catastrophe.

Two news helicopters fall after colliding in midair while covering a police pursuit in central Phoenix, Friday, July 27, 2007, killing everyone on both aircraft, police said. Both helicopters were from local television stations. KNXV-TV Channel 15 reported that one of the choppers belonged to its station. The other chopper...
Two news helicopters fall after colliding in midair while covering a police pursuit in central Phoenix, Friday, July 27, 2007, killing everyone on both aircraft, police said. Both helicopters were from...   (Associated Press)
Two news helicopters fall after colliding in midair while covering a police pursuit in central Phoenix, Friday, July 27, 2007, killing everyone on both aircraft, police said. Both helicopters were from local television stations. KNXV-TV Channel 15 reported that one of the choppers belonged to its station. The other chopper...
Two news helicopters fall after colliding in midair while covering a police pursuit in central Phoenix, Friday, July 27, 2007, killing everyone on both aircraft, police said. Both helicopters were from...   (Associated Press)
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon addresses the media while Phoenix Police Department Police Chief Jack F. Harris listens in near the site of a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police chase in Central Phoenix.  (AP...
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon addresses the media while Phoenix Police Department Police Chief Jack F. Harris listens in near the site of a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in...   (Associated Press)
A Phoenix Police Department officer stands near crash debris several hundred yards from the site of a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police chase in Central Phoenix.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A Phoenix Police Department officer stands near crash debris several hundred yards from the site of a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided...   (Associated Press)
A Phoenix police officer is parked next a section of debris from a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police chase in Central Phoenix.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A Phoenix police officer is parked next a section of debris from a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police...   (Associated Press)
Television crews console one another as they stand near the site of a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police chase in Central Phoenix.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Television crews console one another as they stand near the site of a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a...   (Associated Press)
Police and firefighters stand near the site of a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police chase in Central Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Police and firefighters stand near the site of a helicopter crash in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police chase in Central...   (Associated Press)
One of two helicopter crash sites is shown in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police chase in Central Phoenix. The collision happened as the two choppers, one from KNXV, the other KTVK, broadcast coverage of police pursuing...
One of two helicopter crash sites is shown in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. Two news helicopters collided in mid-air while covering a police chase in Central Phoenix. The collision...   (Associated Press)
Two news helicopter crash sites are shown in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. The collision happened as the two choppers, one from KNXV, the other from KTVK, broadcast coverage of police pursuing a truck. Cameras aboard both aircraft were pointed at the ground, so viewers did...
Two news helicopter crash sites are shown in Indian Steele Park Friday, July 27, 2007 in Phoenix. The collision happened as the two choppers, one from KNXV, the other from KTVK, broadcast coverage of...   (Associated Press)
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