Monroe Smith and Christopher Dougherty Death; Identified As Pilot Killed After Chopper 6 Crashed In

A local news organization has suffered a tragic loss as a result of a helicopter crash that occurred in Burlington County.

Chopper 6 was involved in a crash in Wharton State Forest on Tuesday night, and it has been confirmed that both the pilot and the photojournalist who were on board were killed.

Monroe Smith, 67, resident of Glenside, Pennsylvania, was the pilot, and Christopher Dougherty, 45, resident of Oreland, Pennsylvania, was the photographer. Wednesday afternoon was the time when the victims were identified.

About eight o’clock in the evening, the helicopter crashed in Washington Township, close to the intersection of Quaker Bridge and Mullica River roads.

During the time that crews were searching the area, SKYFOX was located over the site, and it appeared that a small fire had started close to the location.

An officer from the New Jersey State Park Police Department discovered and confirmed the existence of a debris field in Washington Township, Burlington County, a few hundred yards away from Mullica River Road.

According to Flight Aware, a tracking service, the helicopter took off from Northeast Philadelphia about seven o’clock on Tuesday evening, flew to a location on the Jersey Shore, and then crashed on its way back after eight o’clock.

It was last seen going at a speed of 119 miles per hour while it was at a height of 300 feet in the air.

ABC News states that both individuals “have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years.”

A reported had a conversation with Pete Kane, a retired news photographer who had known the pilot for a long time. Kane stated that he had called Smith the following morning when he learned of the disaster, but Smith did not pick up the phone.

It was Kane who stated, “He did not answer the phone.” “Then my worries dawned on me. I am confident that he would respond if Chopper 6 collapsed. When the phone rang, he would answer it.

Kane went on to say, “Everyone of us has a job to have.” Since he was a novice helicopter pilot, he accepted the position. Simply put, he accepted the position just like he would any other one.

At the moment, it is not known what caused the collision to occur.

With assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration, the investigation will be directed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

ncG1vNJzZmismKm%2ForrQrqacrJ%2BWu62twp2sqKaXY7KlwY2vpWiln6O%2FsLGMrKSirJhirq%2BwjJyfq6GjqbyxtMSrZJ2npZy1pr7TsmSdnZGptW61w56lraGWnrKlecCsZKmhnKTBbrfIpaOenF2Ws7Wx0WaaoaegpbKzeZVmmquZo52ypXnIp2SwoJGnwbC6jKyrmqyVYrOwvsSsq2g%3D