North Carolina: Tuesday’s helicopter crash in Charlotte, North Carolina, claimed the lives of two WBTV employees, according to the station.
According to the station, the two staffers who died in the disaster were the meteorologist Jason Myers and the pilot Chip Tayag.
“The WBTV family is grieving a terrible loss. Our news helicopter Sky3 crashed mid-day Tuesday with two of our colleagues on board,” WBTV said in a statement. We are working to comfort their families in this difficult time. We appreciate the outpouring of support for our staff and your continued prayers for their families.”
On Tuesday, the National Weather Service and the Carolina Panthers were just two local and national groups that expressed their support for the station on Twitter.
Around noon, Charlotte police were first made aware of the crash along Interstate 77 on the side of the road. According to Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings, when officers arrived, they found two dead bodies.
According to Jennings, no other vehicles were involved. The chief claimed to have heard that the helicopter’s pilot may have changed course to avoid colliding with other cars.
If that’s the case, the pilot is a hero in my book for ensuring the security and safety of the people driving on the road were not in danger.
According to Jennings, who spoke to the media, he does not foresee any imminent traffic restoration near the incident site.
The chief predicted it would last through rush hour and maybe into the night.
According to Jennings, police have secured the crash site while waiting for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration to arrive to investigate.
The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, released a message: “This is a tragedy for the WBTV family, and we are praying for them and all of those in the media who work so hard to keep the public informed.”
WBTV published details about each victim. Tuesday. A meteorologist, Myers grew up in Union and Catawba counties and watched WBTV. According to the station and his LinkedIn page, he worked in Raleigh, Texas, and Virginia before moving back to Charlotte in 2019. Myers leaves behind his four children, Jillian and his wife.
According to the station, Tayag, the pilot, “came to WBTV in 2017 as an ENG pilot operating Sky3.” He has been a pilot for more than 20 years.