WBTV

===2022 helicopter crash===
On November 22, 2022, at 11:57 a.m.,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article269688561.html|title=Initial investigative report released on WBTV helicopter crash that killed 2 people|last=Cox|first=Kallie|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=December 6, 2022}}</ref> a 1999 [[Robinson R44]] helicopter nicknamed "WBTV Sky3" crashed onto the grass verge of [[Interstate 77 in North Carolina|I-77]] in south Charlotte during a training exercise.<ref>{{cite web|title=CAROL Query:NTSB Investigations Custom Search|url=https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/query-builder?month=11&year=2022|website=data.ntsb.gov|publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date=March 15, 2024}}</ref> Both occupants, WBTV pilot Chip Tayag and WBTV meteorologist Jason Myers, were pronounced dead at the scene. WBTV anchors Molly Grantham and Jamie Boll covered the incident live on the air, before receiving confirmation it was their own station's helicopter and crewmen involved in the crash; the station released a statement citing the incident as a "terrible loss" to the WBTV family. WBTV received an immediate outpouring of support from the community, sister stations, and other media outlets; [[Governor of North Carolina|Governor]] [[Roy Cooper]] and Pastor [[Franklin Graham]] posted condolences on social media, and the [[Carolina Panthers]] and [[Charlotte FC]] delayed their 2022 [[Christmas tree]] lighting ceremony at [[Bank of America Stadium]] for a moment of silence in honor of Tayag and Myers.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Ben|last1=Finley|first2=Hannah|last2=Schoenbaum|url=https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-north-carolina-57eee67e2decdd0c9841878a98f7b138?taid=637d4bf4c1bdbe000108b593|title=TV meteorologist, pilot die in news helicopter crash|website=APnews.com|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|date=November 22, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}
* {{Cite web|url=https://www.wbtv.com/2022/11/22/crews-scene-helicopter-crash-i-77-south-south-charlotte/|title=WBTV helicopter crashes on I-77 South, two killed|website=WBTV.com|publisher=[[Gray Television]]|date=November 22, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}
* {{cite web|first1=Amir|last1=Vera|first2=Sharif|last2=Paget|first3=Melissa|last3=Alonso|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/22/us/charlotte-north-carolina-helicopter-crash/index.html|title=Helicopter crash leaves TV meteorologist and pilot dead in Charlotte, North Carolina|website=CNN.com|publisher=[[Warner Bros. Discovery]]|date=November 22, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.wbtv.com/2022/11/22/wbtv-mourning-loss-meteorologist-jason-myers-pilot-chip-tayag/|title=WBTV mourning the loss of meteorologist Jason Myers, pilot Chip Tayag|website=WBTV.com|publisher=[[Gray Television]]|date=November 22, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}
* {{cite web|first1=Hank|last1=Lee|first2=James|last2=Brierton|first3=Blair|last3=Schiff|url=https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/helicopter-crash-interstate-77-charlotte-north-carolina/275-516aeaad-01d0-4227-a87c-9523e5ace28a|title=Reaction to fatal WBTV helicopter crash - 2 dead in TV news helicopter crash|website=WCNC.com|publisher=[[Tegna Inc.]]|date=November 22, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}
* {{cite news|first1=Kallie|last1=Cox|first2=Joe|last2=Marusak|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article269085217.html|title=Live Updates: Charlotte meteorologist and pilot from WBTV killed in helicopter crash off Interstate 77|newspaper=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=November 22, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}
* {{cite news|first=McKenna|last=Oxenden|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/22/us/north-carolina-helicopter-crash-wbtv.html|title=TV Meteorologist and Pilot Die in Helicopter Crash in North Carolina|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 22, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}</ref>

Witnesses to the crash claim the helicopter was visibly faltering, and in a steeply-banked spiral as it came down. Witnesses also claim that Tayag, a pilot with over 20 years of experience, deliberately steered the falling helicopter into the grass to avoid crashing into nearby buildings or onto the Interstate itself, which was crowded with [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] week traffic at the time. The [[FAA]] and [[NTSB]] began an investigation into the incident, which is still ongoing; the preliminary findings of this investigation, coupled with the available [[RadarBox]] data, indicate that the helicopter was initially traveling at {{convert|80|mph|km/h|0}}, and made three 360-degree turns just before it crashed. Tayag, the pilot, never issued any distress signal, though he was in contact with [[Charlotte-Douglas International Airport|CLT]] [[air traffic control]] moments before the crash.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article269688561.html|title=Initial investigative report released on WBTV helicopter crash that killed 2 people|last=Cox|first=Kallie|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=December 6, 2022}}
* {{cite news|first=Gavin|last=Off|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article269110992.html|title=A final day of flying: hovering over uptown, South End and a deadly path along I-77|newspaper=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=November 22, 2022|access-date=November 22, 2022}}</ref> 

Though the full NTSB findings have not yet been released to the public, on March 6, 2023, the family of Jason Myers filed a [[wrongful death]] lawsuit against Wilson Air Center in North Carolina; this lawsuit was later expanded to include a claim of [[negligence]] against [[Total Traffic and Weather Network]] and [[iHeartMedia]], who employed Chip Tayag and were responsible for the maintenance of the helicopter. The lawsuit alleges that the helicopter was poorly maintained, and had been filled with contaminated fuel on the morning of the crash.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Praats|url=https://www.wbtv.com/2023/03/10/family-wbtv-meteorologist-killed-helicopter-crash-files-lawsuit/|title=Family of WBTV meteorologist killed in helicopter crash files lawsuit|website=WBTV.com|access-date=March 15, 2024|date=March 10, 2023}}</ref>