Two people were killed when a news helicopter crashed in Seattle near the Space Needle. INSIDE EDITION has the details.
There was disaster at a top tourist attraction with a horrific scene in Seattle after a news helicopter crashed near Seattle's famous Space Needle.
Two people were killed and another was critically injured in the morning rush hour tragedy.
The chopper crashed as it was taking off from a downtown helipad. Video footage shows just how close the site of the crash is to the landmark structure.
The accident is a grim reminder of the perils of news helicopters operating in big cities. One happened in New York City in 2006, when a news copter pilot struggled to control his crippled aircraft. Incredibly, all three people on board survived.
In Phoenix in 2005, two news choppers covering a car chase collided live on air. Four people were killed.
Five hundred helicopter accidents occur each year in the U.S.
A Los Angeles news chopper had to make an emergency landing with smoke pouring from its engine.
Former news helicopter pilot Larry Welk gave INSIDE EDITION his reaction to the Seattle crash which killed cameraman Bill Strothman and the pilot.
Welk said, "More sad than anything else. I think that it's a reminder to all of us flying that accidents can happen and that we can't let our guard down no matter how routine we think the flight is."
