A helicopter pilot and TV meteorologist have died in a helicopter crash in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to The New York Times, the crash occurred around noon on November 22 along southbound Interstate 77. Jason Myers, a meteorologist from WBTV, and Chip Tayag, a pilot were found dead at the scene. The helicopter was from the station.
Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said at a press conference that Tayag had been able to direct the helicopter to the side of the highway before it crashed. No other injuries besides the deaths of Tayag and Myers were reported.
According to WBTV, Myers earned his Bachelor of Science in meteorology from North Carolina State University. He worked in Texas, Virginia and Kentucky before landing a job at WBTV in North Carolina. Tayag began working with WBTV in 2017 as an ENG pilot operating Sky3. He flew the WBTV helicopter for over 2,000 hours during his time with the station.
WBTV issued a statement on Tuesday.
LATEST STORIES
“The WBTV family is grieving a terrible loss. Our news helicopter Sky3 crashed mid-day Tuesday with two of our colleagues on board. Meteorologist Jason Myers and pilot Chip Tayag lost their lives. 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.”
Tayag worked with WBTV through the Total Traffic and Weather Network. TTWN issued its own statement on Tuesday.
“We always said that if we could duplicate Chip and his piloting skills, his organization abilities, and attention to detail, our company would be better off. He always cared about the job he was doing and strived to make all his passengers comfortable while covering the news in Charlotte,” the Total Traffic and Weather Network said, according to WBTV.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc. Follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our efforts to produce diverse content about the AAPI communities. We are supported in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
The pilot did such a brave thing. Witnesses have said that he changed the course of helicopter so that it wouldnt hit the cars on highway or houses. My heart goes out to both of their families.