December 20, 2023
Source/6ABC
Action News' Chopper 6 helicopter crashed Tuesday night in South Jersey, killing pilot Monroe Smith and photographer Christopher Dougherty.
Two crew members of Action News' Chopper 6 were killed Tuesday night when their helicopter crashed into a wooded area in South Jersey, the station said early Wednesday morning.
Monroe Smith, a 67-year-old pilot from Glenside, and Christopher Dougherty, a 45-year-old photographer from Oreland, were returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore around 8 p.m. when the helicopter went down in the Pine Barrens in Burlington County.
Chopper 6 was last in the air over Wharton State Forest before it crashed near Quaker Bridge Atsion Road and Middle Road in Washington Township, the news station reported. New Jersey State Park Police responded to the scene to investigate the wreckage, which was found in a remote area of the woods around midnight.
"A New Jersey State Park police officer located and confirmed a debris field a few hundred yards off Mullica River Road," George Fedorczyk, chief of the New Jersey State Park Police, said during a press briefing Wednesday morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration arrived at the scene around 3:15 a.m. to make an initial assessment. Due to low visibility and the location of the wreckage, officials decided to suspend the investigation until after daybreak.
Other Philadelphia news stations are covering the crash, and NBC10 reported that flight data showed the helicopter had taken off from Northeast Philadelphia airport, made it to the shore and was on its way back when it crashed.
According to online flight data — the chopper left Northeast Philadelphia airport, circled near the Wharton State Forest, and was last recorded just 75 feet above ground per @MattDeLucia @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/zdwROAdCRr
— Randy Gyllenhaal (@RandyGyllenhaal) December 20, 2023
The cause of the crash still under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board will be the lead investigator when inspectors arrive at the crash site later Wednesday. New Jersey State Park police secured the scene with assistance from New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and the Hammonton Township Police Department.
"This will be an active investigation probably well into late today," Fedorczyk said.
Quaker Bridge Road, Mullica River Road and Mill Road have been closed off as part of the ongoing investigation.
The NTSB's investigators will document the scene and examine the helicopter on Wednesday before transporting the wreckage to another location for evaluation, the agency told 6ABC. The ensuing investigation will look at various factors involved in the crash. That includes potential problems with the aircraft, the pilot's operation of it and environmental conditions. The NTSB will produce a preliminary report on its investigation within 30 days.
6ABC said it leases Chopper 6 from North Carolina-based U.S. Helicopters Inc. The helicopter that crashed was a 2013 American Eurocopter AS-350A-STAR.
Aerial coverage from Chopper 6 became has been a part of 6ABC's news coverage in 1980, and Action News was the first Philadelphia TV station to use a helicopter.
6ABC reported that the crew members who died had a "long history" with the station and had worked for years as part of the Action News team.
Members of Action News offered condolences early Wednesday in posts on X, formerly Twitter.
Two people who helped bring you the news every day lost their lives while on the job last night. Chopper 6 crashed in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
— Matt O'Donnell (@matt_odonnell) December 20, 2023
All of us at 6abc want to express our deepest condolences to their family and friends. https://t.co/jjmAKiLL35
It’s with a heavy heart that we have to report that two Chopper 6 crew members were killed in a crash while returning from an assignment at the Jersey shore. Keep the Action News family in your prayers. 💔https://t.co/mYMxQwD6MH
— Brandon Longo (@brandonlongo) December 20, 2023
There aren’t words to encompass the heartbreak we feel this morning. As countless thoughts stir, the only ones that matter now are for the families of our colleagues.
— Brian Taff (@briantaff6abc) December 20, 2023
