HAMMONTON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Two people on board a 6ABC Action News helicopter are dead after the chopper went down in Burlington County, New Jersey Tuesday night.
According to FlightAware, a live flight tracking site, the chopper left Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 7:30 p.m.
6ABC said the crew was heading to the shore for an assignment, but on the way back, the chopper went down in the middle of Wharton State Forest.
New Jersey State Police were notified of the missing chopper around 11 p.m. About an hour later, a state park officer located and confirmed a debris field deep in the Pine Barrens, just a few hundred yards off of Mullica River Road in Washington Township.
A Federal Aviation Administration representative showed up initially to take a look at the scene, but it was too dense and remote.
The location of the crash is deep in the woods, making it difficult for New Jersey state and park police officers to get to. Crews were called in to cut through the forest to get to the crash site at daybreak.
The news station said a pilot and a photographer were on board at the time of the crash, and they were each a part of the news team for many years. At this point, police and 6ABC have not identified them.
It’s too early to say what caused the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board will take the lead on the investigation.
6ABC said the helicopter is leased from U.S. Helicopters Inc., which is based in North Carolina.