A news helicopter operated by WPVI, an ABC-affiliated television station in Philadelphia, crashed in the woods of southern New Jersey, killing two people, the new station said.
A pilot and a photographer were onboard Chopper 6 when it went down in Washington Township Tuesday around 8 p.m. They had just completed an assignment on the Jersey Shore and were on their way back to Philadelphia at the time, according to WPVI.
Despite the remote terrain, which is densely packed with trees, New Jersey State troopers were able to successfully locate the wreckage shortly after midnight. Authorities said the chopper was last recorded airborne over Wharton State Forest and that the debris field was found a few hundred yards from Mullica River Road, in the area of Middle Road and Quaker Bridge Atsion Road.
All three roads have since been closed, WPVI reported, and both people onboard the helicopter at the time of the crash have been pronounced dead.
“It has been a devastating day for the Action News team,” WPVI wrote in an article detailing the crash. It added both victims “have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years.”
Their names have not been released pending the notification of their loved ones.
What exactly caused the copper to go down remained unclear early Wednesday and the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified.
The helicopter involved, a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR, is leased by WPVI from U.S. Helicopters Inc., which is based in North Carolina. It plays “an integral role in our news-gathering operation, accessing areas that are difficult to reach by ground, giving us everything from weather and beauty shots, traffic backups, and important information about news of the day.”
The news station first started using a helicopter back in 1980, WPVI said. It was also the first news helicopter used in Philadelphia.
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