Chopper 6 crash: Cause of news helicopter crash in New Jersey to be investigated by NTSB

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began their investigation Wednesday into the crash of Chopper 6, which took the lives of two members of the Action News team.

The helicopter crashed in a densely wooded area of Washington Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, just after 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The pilot was 67-year-old Monroe Smith of Glenside, Pa. and the photographer was 45-year-old Christopher Dougherty of Oreland, Pa.

Both men were killed.

The helicopter took off from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, its home base, before 7:30 p.m. and the crew flew to an assignment in Galloway Township, New Jersey.

Flight tracker data shows that, around 8 p.m., the helicopter had a dip in altitude while returning to Philadelphia. Three minutes later, the chopper’s altitude dropped again.

The crash site was located shortly after midnight Wednesday. The New Jersey State Park Police secured the scene but said due to the rough terrain the investigation couldn’t begin until after daybreak.

A helicopter from a fellow Philadelphia television station captured video of the wreckage. Scattered debris, with some pieces on fire or smoking, could be seen as authorities searched with flashlights in the darkness.

RELATED:Pilot, photographer killed after Action News’ Chopper 6 crashes in a wooded area of New Jersey

Personnel from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrived at the crash site at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday. The NTSB will lead the investigation.

A spokesperson for the NTSB told Action News that investigators will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the helicopter on Thursday morning.

The helicopter will then be taken to a secure facility for evaluation.

The NTSB investigation will involve three components: the pilot, the aircraft, and the operating environment.

“Anything that documents the condition of the helicopter. That includes maintenance records, that includes flight logs, that includes pilot training records – even down to the minutia of the last time the aircraft was fueled, and who fueled it,” said former Navy pilot and aviation attorney John Gagliano.

The NTSB said that’s precisely what they will be looking at. They sent a list of the many different aspects of this crash they will investigate, including:

• Air traffic control communications

• The pilot’s license and flight experience

• A 72-hour background check of the pilot

• Potential information from electronic devices

• Any available surveillance video, including doorbell cameras

“During the on-scene phase of the investigative process, the NTSB does not determine or speculate about the cause of the accident,” said spokesperson Jennifer Gabris.

Gagliano says unlike commercial airliners, helicopters don’t have so-called “black boxes,” though many do have data memory cards. It is unclear if Chopper 6, an American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR, did.

He says NTSB records show this model of helicopter has been involved in 57 fatal crashes since 1988.

There was a crash of this model helicopter over the East River in New York in 2018 and it was caused by, according to the NTSB, single engine failure and a bad placement of a fuel shut-off lever.

The NTSB plans to have a preliminary report issued in 30 days. Gagliano said a complete investigation will likely take over a year.