New Details On Helicopter Crash That Killed 6ABC Crew Released

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday released a preliminary report detailing the final flight of a Philadelphia news helicopter before it crashed into a South Jersey forest, killing its pilot and a news photographer.

Pilot Monroe Smith, 67, and photographer Christopher Dougherty, 45, both of Montgomery County, died Dec. 19 when a 6ABC Action News chopper crashed in Wharton State Forest in Burlington County, New Jersey.

The crew was returning from an assignment photographing Christmas light displays near Atlantic City when the crash occurred.

• RELATED: New Details Revealed About Chopper 6 Crash That Killed 2

Todd Gunther, an investigator with the NTSB, previously told reporters that Chopper 6 was returning to its base at Northeast Philadelphia Airport when something caused it to crash.

“The aircraft hit at very high speed, and after striking the trees, it fragmented,” Gunther told The Associated Press, adding the damaged aircraft "was subject to a post-crash fire."

Nearly a month after the crash, the NTSB's preliminary report included a detailed description of the crash site and the chopper's final movements as it traveled over New Jersey.

According to the report, the chopper crew arrived for their assignment shortly before 7:45 p.m. After 10 minutes orbiting the scene to collect video footage, the crew was cleared to return to Philadelphia.

Tracking systems showed the helicopter's last location about 4 nautical miles east/northeast of Hammonton Municipal Airport in Hammonton, New Jersey, according to the report.

According to preliminary air traffic control data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, the helicopter drifted from its established flight track around 8 p.m. before it began to descend. The helicopter's final position was recorded just before 8:04 p.m., the report said.

According to the report, a witness said that around that time, he observed "a solid light traveling quickly at a steep angle," while another witness saw what he described as a "giant orange ball" descending into the forest.

Around 10 p.m., the report said the helicopter's owner was contacted by 6ABC Action News after the station was unable to reach the crew by telephone. After confirming that the helicopter had not returned to Northeast Philadelphia Airport, state and local authorities were contacted.

The wreckage was located around 12:05 a.m. on Dec. 20 in a densely wooded area of Wharton State Forest, the report said.

According to the NTSB's report, most of the chopper was destroyed in the crash as well as the subsequent fire. Investigators also found no issues with the chopper's engine that would have prevented it from normal flight.

What caused the crash remains unclear. The NTSB said it could be about two years before it determines a possible cause.