6ABC helicopter crash update: NTSB releases preliminary report
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report Wednesday after 6ABC's chopper crashed in December and said it didn't find any issues with the helicopter's engine.
"No anomalies of the engine were discovered that would have precluded normal operation," the NTSB wrote in its preliminary report.
The Dec. 19 crash in a wooded area of the Wharton State Forest near Hammonton, New Jersey, left 67-year-old pilot Monroe Smith and 45-year-old photographer Christopher Dougherty dead.
In the report, the NTSB said the chopper left Northeast Philadelphia Airport to head to the Smithville, New Jersey, area near Atlantic City just before 7 p.m.
The helicopter arrived at the scene, collected video footage and then began to head back to the airport in the Northeast, according to the report.
Hours later, at around 10 p.m., the assignment desk at 6ABC attempted to contact the chopper but was not able to get in touch with the pilot or photographer.
NTSB issues the preliminary report for its ongoing investigation of the Dec. 19, 2023 crash of an American Eurocopter Corp. helicopter near Hammonton, New Jersey. Download the report PDF: https://t.co/B7d0YvhlvX
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) January 17, 2024
State and local authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration were then notified to locate the missing chopper, the NTSB said.
Just after midnight, the wreckage of the chopper was found in Wharton State Forest.
The NTSB said according to the preliminary air traffic control data provided by the FAA, the chopper was heading back to Northeast Philadelphia Airport when the chopper drifted right off the established flight track and began to descend in altitude.
Witnesses told the NTSB they saw a "solid light traveling quickly at a steep angle," and another described seeing a "giant orange ball" heading into the forest.
An examination of the chopper showed heavy damage from the crash, including that it left the cockpit/cabin area destroyed. The chopper's main rotor blades were damaged from the fire but remain attached. The NTSB said several trees near the site of the crash had "cuts consistent with main rotor blade strikes."
Multiple pieces of the chopper were also found near the wreckage site, according to the NTSB. The pilot's cyclic grip and inboard pedals were found about 20 feet from the wreckage.
An examination of the engine showed it was damaged from fire after it hit the ground and separated from the airframe during the crash, the NTSB said.
According to FAA records and airplane maintenance records, the chopper was built in 2013 and the most recent "airworthiness inspection" was completed Dec. 19 — the same day as the crash.
Wreckage from the site was retained for further examination.
CBS Philadelphia extends our condolences to our fellow journalists and staff at 6ABC.