(from the Shoptalk mailing list)
FLYING LOW
                           By Henry Walker
                         The Nashville Scene
A helicopter carrying a WTVF-Channel 5 (Nashville) cameraman illegally
entered restricted airspace and endangered emergency workers on the
ground in order to film the crash site of a Navy jet, federal and
state officials have charged.
The Federal Aviation Authority has accused pilot Michael Brooks and
his employer, Nashville-based Helicorp, of violating federal air-
safety rules when Brooks carried the cameraman into restricted
airspace and hovered low over burning debris shortly after the crash
of an F-14A fighter near the Nashville Airport in January. The crash
killed both Navy crewmen and three people on the ground.
Brooks, who could lose his license as a result of the incident, told
the FAA that his radio failed during the flight and that he "was under
a lot of pressure to perform due to the gravity of the situation."
Brooks declined to explain his statement to the FAA, but Helicorp
president Francis Guess said he assumes the pilot meant that he was
trying to help Channel 5 and flew into the crash site so that
cameraman Al Cobb could get the shots the station wanted.
The most serious FAA allegations charge that Brooks illegally flew
into the "no flight" zone around the airport without permission from
air traffic control and that he operated in a congested area above
"crash/rescue operations" without radio communications. FAA documents
obtained by the Scene under the federal Freedom of Information Act
indicate that air controllers tried repeatedly to contact Brooks to
order him out of the area as the helicopter hovered "approximately 50
to 100 feet" over the point of impact. Brooks' actions "carelessly
endangered life and property," according to the FAA's findings.
"No one with any sense" would fly into a disaster area without a
working radio and without permission, said an FAA investigator
familiar with the case. The investigator alleges that the only reason
Brooks flew into the area was so that Channel 5 could be first on the
air with film of the crash.
"This is nothing more than a television station wanting to be there
first," the investigator said. "It wouldn't be the first time that a
helicopter pilot gets punished because a passenger asked him to break
the rules."
During the flight, Brooks carried not only a Channel 5 cameraman but
Helicorp vice president Roger Danner, who happened to be at the
airport and was just along for the ride, according to Guess. Danner,
the son of multimillionaire Ray Danner, former head of Shoney's
restaurants, once owned the helicopter company, which Guess bought in
1993. Guess, a successful businessman and a well-connected Republican,
is executive vice president of the Danner Company, which manages
Ray Danner's private investments, and he serves as a director of the
Danner Foundation. Roger Danner, a licensed helicopter pilot, would
not talk about the incident.
Guess said he does not believe that the helicopter was hovering 50
feet from the ground, "except when it was descending to land." He said
that the helicopter landed near the crash site so that the Channel 5
cameraman could hand his film of the crash site to station employees.
The FAA has made an initial determination to fine Helicorp $10,000 for
the air-safety violations. Helicorp's attorney, C.K. McLemore, said
the company has requested a hearing, scheduled Oct. 10, to try to
settle the matter. Brooks, who faces separate charges, said his case
"may end up in federal court" and declined further comment.
Both McLemore and Guess emphasized that, regardless of the importance
of the news story, it is the pilot's responsibility to comply with
applicable air-safety regulations.
... Sally Struthers is the ANTI-CHRIST!!! She MUST be killed!
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