Seattle Copter Crash Tragedy Brings to Mind Jane Dornacker; KRFC/WNBC 'Trafficologist' Died in Similar Accident; On-Air Account

This morning's tragic Seattle TV traffic helicopter crash killing 2 brought back my own chilling reminder of KFRC and SF musician, Jane Dornacker, who also perished in a similar accident, live on the air no less.


Dornacker moved from SF to NY to do traffic for WNBC. On October 22, 1986 Dornacker was doing a live report when she and pilot, Bill Pate, were in a copter that crashed into the Hudson River. They were both killed. (The pilot survived--Dornacker drowned).


Here's the chilling audio from that afternoon: Caution: the audio contents are extremely disturbing and may not be suitable for everyone. Listener discretion advised.


**Dornacker was a SF media/performing artist fixture in the 80's --she was only 39 when she died. In 1981 she got the job that earner her the broadcast acclaim as the "trafficologist" for KFRC.

In an accident only a few months earlier that saw her copter crash into the Hackensack
River she told Herb Caen,  "I'm a strong swimmer. I swam from Alcatraz to Aquatic Park twice,
but it's different with a 2-ton helicopter strapped to your waist."


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Jane Dornacker