It was late. Most people in Philadelphia were either asleep or winding down when the news started trickling in on December 19, 2023. A Chopper 6 helicopter, which operated for the local ABC affiliate but was part of a long-standing resource-sharing agreement involving the Fox News helicopter crash narrative and other local stations, had gone down. It wasn't just a mechanical failure or a blip on a radar; it was a devastating loss for the broadcast community. Two people died. Pilot Monroe Smith and photographer Christopher Dougherty were returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore when their 2013 American Eurocopter AS350B2 plummeted into the Wharton State Forest.
The woods are thick there. It's the Pine Barrens. If you've ever driven through that stretch of New Jersey, you know how dark it gets once you leave the glow of the Atlantic City Expressway.
Why the Fox News helicopter crash changed how we see local news
People often get confused about which station "owned" the bird. In big markets like Philly, stations share. It makes financial sense. But when the Fox News helicopter crash (or rather, the crash of the shared regional resource) hit the headlines, it sparked a massive conversation about the safety of news gathering from the air. We aren't talking about a vintage prop plane here. The Eurocopter is a workhorse of the industry. It’s reliable. So, when a reliable machine falls out of the sky on a clear night, people start asking questions that don't always have easy answers.
The NTSB—the National Transportation Safety Board—doesn't move fast. They shouldn't. Their preliminary reports gave us the "what," but the "why" is a much deeper dive into aviation mechanics and pilot spatial disorientation.
The technical reality of the AS350B2
The helicopter involved was a beast in terms of utility. It’s used for everything from medevac to news. Honestly, it’s kinda the gold standard. But even the best tech fails if the conditions are wrong. On that Tuesday night, the crew was heading back to Northeast Philadelphia Airport. They had been out near Smithville, New Jersey. Everything seemed routine. That’s the scariest part about aviation. Routine is where complacency lives, though there is zero evidence that Smith, a veteran pilot with decades of experience, was being anything but professional.
What we do know is that the debris field was huge. It stretched for hundreds of yards through the scrub pines. This wasn't a soft landing. It was a high-energy impact.
✨ Don't miss: Why Every Tornado Warning MN Now Live Alert Demands Your Immediate Attention
The human cost of the Chopper 6 tragedy
Monroe Smith was 67. Christopher Dougherty was 45. These weren't just "crew members." In the tight-knit world of Philadelphia media, these were the guys who showed you the traffic jams and the fires and the celebrations from 1,000 feet up.
Dougherty had been with the station for twenty years. Imagine that. Two decades of documenting a city's history. When news of the Fox News helicopter crash resource hit the newsroom at WPVI and the offices of Fox 29, it didn't feel like a "story." It felt like a death in the family. You’ve probably seen their work a thousand times without knowing their names. That’s the life of a photojournalist. You’re the eyes, never the face.
What the NTSB investigators are looking at right now
Investigators look at three things: the man, the machine, and the environment.
- The Environment: It was dark. The Pine Barrens are notorious for "black hole" conditions where there are no city lights to help a pilot keep their bearings.
- The Machine: Was there a catastrophic engine failure? The NTSB recovered the wreckage and hauled it to a secure facility in Clayton, Delaware. They look at every bolt. Every blade.
- The Man: Was there a medical emergency? Pilot fatigue? Smith was highly respected, making this part of the investigation particularly somber.
Basically, they are trying to figure out if the pilot lost his sense of where the horizon was. It’s called spatial disorientation. It’s killed some of the best pilots in history. You think you’re level, but you’re actually in a dive. By the time you realize it, the trees are right there.
Safety gaps in news aviation
There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether we even need helicopters anymore. Drones are cheaper. They’re safer. They don't have people inside them. But drones can’t fly 50 miles in minutes to cover a breaking news story in a different state. Not yet, anyway.
🔗 Read more: Brian Walshe Trial Date: What Really Happened with the Verdict
The Fox News helicopter crash and similar incidents in places like Seattle and New York have pushed the industry to rethink its safety protocols. Some stations are moving toward twin-engine birds for better redundancy. Others are doubling down on night-vision goggles (NVGs) for pilots flying in rural areas.
It’s expensive. Media companies are hurting for cash. But how do you put a price on the lives of people like Monroe and Chris? You can't.
A timeline of the final flight
The flight took off around 7:30 PM. It was a standard "scenic" shot assignment. By 8:00 PM, they were finished. They started the trek back.
The last radar hit showed the aircraft descending rapidly. There was no Mayday call. No frantic radio chatter. Just silence. When the helicopter didn't show up at Northeast Philadelphia Airport, the alarm was raised. Because the crash site was so deep in the woods, it took hours for New Jersey State Police to actually find it.
The fire was intense. It lit up the woods, but by the time first responders reached the site, there was nothing they could do.
💡 You might also like: How Old is CHRR? What People Get Wrong About the Ohio State Research Giant
What this means for the future of the industry
The aftermath of the Fox News helicopter crash isn't just about a report in a file cabinet. It’s about the "Lease-a-Chopper" model that many stations use. Often, the pilots and the aircraft don't actually belong to the news station. They belong to a third-party aviation company. This creates a weird layer of bureaucracy when it comes to oversight.
Honestly, we might see the end of the news helicopter era within the next decade. The risks are high, and the rewards are diminishing as social media users provide ground-level footage before a chopper can even get its rotors spinning.
Actionable safety insights for aviation enthusiasts and pros
If you're following this story because you fly or you work in media, there are a few sobering takeaways that the industry is currently chewing on. These aren't just theories; they are the result of looking at dozens of similar accidents over the last few years.
- Invest in NVG Training: If you’re flying over unlit terrain like the Pine Barrens, night-vision isn't a luxury; it's a requirement.
- Redundant Systems: The shift toward twin-engine helicopters is accelerating. If one engine quits, you have a chance. In a single-engine AS350, you’re looking at an autorotation, which is incredibly difficult to execute in total darkness.
- Spatial Disorientation Drills: Pilots are spending more time in simulators specifically practicing for "unusual attitude" recovery in low-visibility environments.
- The "No-Go" Culture: Newsrooms need to empower pilots to say "no" without fear of losing a contract. The pressure to get the shot can be a silent killer.
This tragedy didn't happen in a vacuum. It happened in an industry that is constantly pushing for more—more footage, more speed, more access. But sometimes the cost of "more" is simply too high. We owe it to the memory of the crew to make sure that these investigations actually lead to changes, not just headlines.
Next Steps for Following the Investigation:
To stay updated on the official findings, you should regularly check the NTSB's "Monthly Accident Reports" or search for "ERA24LA074," which is the specific file number associated with this incident. The final report, which determines "Probable Cause," typically takes 12 to 24 months from the date of the accident. Until then, anything you hear about a definitive cause is just speculation. Stick to the data provided by the investigators and the official statements from the FAA.