Exclusive: KTVU News Helicopter Had Two Emergency Landings

 KTVU's news chopper, "Sky Fox 2" had two emergency landings in the past three months. The pilot experienced medical conditions, a station source has told 415 Media, exclusively.

The incidents occurred in late June and then another more serious landing by the same pilot happened during the Valley Fire last month.

Repeated calls to KTVU to comment on the matter were not returned.

The name of the pilot was not known but he went by "Chopper Dan" --in normal circumstances a report is issued whenever there's some aviation incident --so far KTVU hasn't, at least publically, acknowledged its helicopter emergency landings status nor filed a report we're aware of.  Sounds kind of murky to me.

But the source says it's not surprising.

" The Fox contract has only one pilot who is over worked/under paid/on call 24-7...Maybe that's why the pilot had a medical condition and couldn't perform underneath the Fox terms and conditions."

Whatever that is.

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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