Narrative:

I was piloting a news gathering helicopter for a local los angeles television station on the evening of oct/wed/00. I was flying near downtown los angeles and proceeding toward the southeast in order to intercept the pursuit of a stolen vehicle that was reported to be eastbound on the 105 freeway. I was monitoring the local helicopter common traffic frequency of 123.025 and heard the police helicopter's reporting their position over the pursuit. I believe they said that they were at 700 ft MSL and I made a mental note to get up to 1100 ft MSL as I approached the incident to be above their activity. I was at 900 ft MSL as I contacted los angeles tower and got clearance through the class B airspace at or below 900 ft MSL, and east of the harbor freeway. As the pursuit progressed to the east my intercept course took me farther away from lax and eventually clear of their surface area. While en route I talked with another news helicopter that was at my 3 O'clock position, and acknowledged his contact with me and that I had him in sight as well. I saw the police helicopter's ahead at the pursuit scene and began a climb to about 1100 ft or 1200 ft to be clear of their activity. At about this same time, I began to report for the television station on the air about the pursuit and almost immediately the car had a head on collision with another vehicle and I began a right hand orbit around the incident. I observed the police helicopter's below me and I continued my orbit while reporting about the incident. At some point in the orbit I allowed my altitude to drop and I apparently got down near the altitude of one of the police helicopter's, even though I could still see other police aircraft below me. My cameraman advised that another aircraft had just passed close to us and behind, which I did not see. I immediately checked my altitude and realized that I had dropped below my desired altitude. I began an immediate climb and listened up on the common frequency and heard a police pilot advise that they had just had a near miss with a helicopter with a 'company' logo on the side. I immediately responded that it was me, apologized and advised that I would climb up and stay clear. I remained over the traffic incident for about 1 1/2 hours and then returned to my base. Along with other media aircraft over the incident, I made occasional position reports or acknowledged other traffic, but had no further communications with any police helicopter's that I recall. They actually left the scene not long after the collision. I was advised the next day that the police department had called the television station late the previous night and was very upset about the incident. I called and spoke with the police pilot involved and explained what I believed had happened and we talked about ways to prevent future occurrences. I acknowledged that as a pilot/reporter my workload was sometimes a bit hectic and that I had let covering the story distract me from my altitude awareness. It is common for us to work over police events in the los angeles area and we normally have a safe and professional working relationship. In this instance I had intended to do all the right things, but was distracted and evidently let my altitude control wander. I have discussed the incident with our chief pilot and taken his advice on making sure that safety is primary and that getting the story or the pictures is secondary. I have always known that to be the case, but will redouble my efforts to ensure safe operations. I will also be more diligent in communicating with the other aircraft and in setting a practice of getting well above the other aircraft working a news story whenever I am required to report and fly at the same time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC. PLT OF A NEWS MEDIA HELI BECAME DISTRACTED WHILE CIRCLING A POLICE ACTION SCENE AND DSNDED DOWN TO THE LEVEL OF POLICE HELI'S AT THE SCENE CAUSING A NEAR MISS.

Narrative: I WAS PILOTING A NEWS GATHERING HELI FOR A LCL LOS ANGELES TELEVISION STATION ON THE EVENING OF OCT/WED/00. I WAS FLYING NEAR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES AND PROCEEDING TOWARD THE SE IN ORDER TO INTERCEPT THE PURSUIT OF A STOLEN VEHICLE THAT WAS RPTED TO BE EBOUND ON THE 105 FREEWAY. I WAS MONITORING THE LCL HELI COMMON TFC FREQ OF 123.025 AND HEARD THE POLICE HELI'S RPTING THEIR POS OVER THE PURSUIT. I BELIEVE THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE AT 700 FT MSL AND I MADE A MENTAL NOTE TO GET UP TO 1100 FT MSL AS I APCHED THE INCIDENT TO BE ABOVE THEIR ACTIVITY. I WAS AT 900 FT MSL AS I CONTACTED LOS ANGELES TWR AND GOT CLRNC THROUGH THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AT OR BELOW 900 FT MSL, AND E OF THE HARBOR FREEWAY. AS THE PURSUIT PROGRESSED TO THE E MY INTERCEPT COURSE TOOK ME FARTHER AWAY FROM LAX AND EVENTUALLY CLR OF THEIR SURFACE AREA. WHILE ENRTE I TALKED WITH ANOTHER NEWS HELI THAT WAS AT MY 3 O'CLOCK POS, AND ACKNOWLEDGED HIS CONTACT WITH ME AND THAT I HAD HIM IN SIGHT AS WELL. I SAW THE POLICE HELI'S AHEAD AT THE PURSUIT SCENE AND BEGAN A CLB TO ABOUT 1100 FT OR 1200 FT TO BE CLR OF THEIR ACTIVITY. AT ABOUT THIS SAME TIME, I BEGAN TO RPT FOR THE TELEVISION STATION ON THE AIR ABOUT THE PURSUIT AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THE CAR HAD A HEAD ON COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AND I BEGAN A R HAND ORBIT AROUND THE INCIDENT. I OBSERVED THE POLICE HELI'S BELOW ME AND I CONTINUED MY ORBIT WHILE RPTING ABOUT THE INCIDENT. AT SOME POINT IN THE ORBIT I ALLOWED MY ALT TO DROP AND I APPARENTLY GOT DOWN NEAR THE ALT OF ONE OF THE POLICE HELI'S, EVEN THOUGH I COULD STILL SEE OTHER POLICE ACFT BELOW ME. MY CAMERAMAN ADVISED THAT ANOTHER ACFT HAD JUST PASSED CLOSE TO US AND BEHIND, WHICH I DID NOT SEE. I IMMEDIATELY CHKED MY ALT AND REALIZED THAT I HAD DROPPED BELOW MY DESIRED ALT. I BEGAN AN IMMEDIATE CLB AND LISTENED UP ON THE COMMON FREQ AND HEARD A POLICE PLT ADVISE THAT THEY HAD JUST HAD A NEAR MISS WITH A HELI WITH A 'COMPANY' LOGO ON THE SIDE. I IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED THAT IT WAS ME, APOLOGIZED AND ADVISED THAT I WOULD CLB UP AND STAY CLR. I REMAINED OVER THE TFC INCIDENT FOR ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS AND THEN RETURNED TO MY BASE. ALONG WITH OTHER MEDIA ACFT OVER THE INCIDENT, I MADE OCCASIONAL POS RPTS OR ACKNOWLEDGED OTHER TFC, BUT HAD NO FURTHER COMS WITH ANY POLICE HELI'S THAT I RECALL. THEY ACTUALLY LEFT THE SCENE NOT LONG AFTER THE COLLISION. I WAS ADVISED THE NEXT DAY THAT THE POLICE DEPT HAD CALLED THE TELEVISION STATION LATE THE PREVIOUS NIGHT AND WAS VERY UPSET ABOUT THE INCIDENT. I CALLED AND SPOKE WITH THE POLICE PLT INVOLVED AND EXPLAINED WHAT I BELIEVED HAD HAPPENED AND WE TALKED ABOUT WAYS TO PREVENT FUTURE OCCURRENCES. I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT AS A PLT/RPTR MY WORKLOAD WAS SOMETIMES A BIT HECTIC AND THAT I HAD LET COVERING THE STORY DISTRACT ME FROM MY ALT AWARENESS. IT IS COMMON FOR US TO WORK OVER POLICE EVENTS IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA AND WE NORMALLY HAVE A SAFE AND PROFESSIONAL WORKING RELATIONSHIP. IN THIS INSTANCE I HAD INTENDED TO DO ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, BUT WAS DISTRACTED AND EVIDENTLY LET MY ALT CTL WANDER. I HAVE DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT WITH OUR CHIEF PLT AND TAKEN HIS ADVICE ON MAKING SURE THAT SAFETY IS PRIMARY AND THAT GETTING THE STORY OR THE PICTURES IS SECONDARY. I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT TO BE THE CASE, BUT WILL REDOUBLE MY EFFORTS TO ENSURE SAFE OPS. I WILL ALSO BE MORE DILIGENT IN COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER ACFT AND IN SETTING A PRACTICE OF GETTING WELL ABOVE THE OTHER ACFT WORKING A NEWS STORY WHENEVER I AM REQUIRED TO RPT AND FLY AT THE SAME TIME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.