CHARLOTTE, N.C. — TV station WBTV's news helicopter crashed around noon Tuesday in south Charlotte along I-77, killing two people. The victims were identified by WBTV as a meteorologist and a pilot who worked at the station.
Meteorologist Jason Myers and pilot Chip Tayag were identified as the people killed in the crash in a statement by WBTV — and by coworkers who'd been reporting on the crash live from the station's studio.
According to the FAA, the helicopter involved was a Robinson R44, and two people were on board. WBTV called the aircraft "Sky3."
The helicopter, operated by Total Traffic and Weather Network, took off from the WBTV helipad just before noon and proceeded south for about five miles Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.
The aircraft was in contact with the Charlotte control tower and received clearance to enter the air space. The NTSB says the helicopter proceeded to do two 360-degree turns over I-77 before descending rapidly. The CLT tower received no distress calls from the pilot, according to the NTSB.
Related article: NTSB says no distress call was received prior to helicopter crash
"It's tragic," CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said of the crash in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Jennings said it appears that the pilot dodged the interstate in a likely attempt to avoid injuring anyone else. He said that the pilot's actions were "heroic," and that no vehicles on the ground were impacted.
The chief also told reporters: “We’re looking at going into the holiday season where we’re supposed to be spending time with our loved ones. And tragically, there are two people involved in this crash that will not be going home and will not be spending the holidays with their family.”
"I do ask that we do pray for the families," Jennings said.
The crash shut down I-77 south near the Nations Ford Road exit and snarled traffic for hours Tuesday. The area was expected to remain closed until midnight, according to NCDOT, but two lanes were allowed to reopen in time for the evening commute.
All lanes were reopened by late Wednesday morning, and debris from the crash had been removed. Officials continue to warn drivers of possible delays, however, in the area while flow returns to normal.
Gov. Roy Cooper shared his condolences on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.
“The words are hard to come by folks, we’ve been holding on to this for a while,” WBTV anchor Jamie Boll told viewers in a Tuesday newscast, his voice wavering before he cleared his throat.
Boll had seen Tayag at 11 a.m. Tuesday as the pilot sat in the helicopter, preparing to pick up Myers, the meteorologist.
“Every single day in this newsroom, Chip would wave at you say hello, ask you how you’re doing. He'd wave from behind the pilot's chair of the helicopter," Boll said. "Jason Myers — I could go on and on. He would bound through this newsroom with incredible energy and smiles and just cared about everybody here.”
Myers was raised in North Carolina's Union and Catawba counties and worked in the city of Raleigh, and in Texas and Virginia before returning to the Charlotte area where he grew up, WBTV said. He and his wife Jillian have four children.
Tayag had been a pilot for more than 20 years, the station said. He began working for WBTV in 2017 and celebrated his three-year wedding anniversary in August, according to his Instagram page.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead an investigation into the crash along with the FAA.
The NTSB will release a preliminary report in two to three weeks.
Investigators say they're compiling witness statements and surveillance video from nearby buildings. The NTSB encourages anyone who may have witnessed the helicopter crash to email witness@NTSB.gov.
"The probable cause of the crash and any contributing factors will be in the final report, which can take from 12-24 months to be completed," the NTSB says.
WBTV shared GoFundMe links for both Myers and Tayag as the community looks to honor the two.
Updates on traffic and condolences have been pouring in since the crash. Here are some of the latest: