Narrative:

The event occurred in a los angeles county vehicle pursuit in an area just 3-6 mi northwest of lgb. Sheriff's craft was the primary ship overhead, r-hand orbits, at 500 ft MSL. I was the second sheriff's bird overhead. We were overhead monitoring the pursuit as backup for sheriff's aircraft. We were between 1000-1100 ft MSL. The first news media helicopter on scene came over the pursuit while we and sheriff's aircraft were in lgb class D airspace. Sheriff's aircraft Z and we were on lgb CTAF frequency 120.5. We had only 1 radio, so we were unable to better coordination with the news media ship on air-to-air frequency of 123.02. 123.02 is a position reporting frequency in the los angeles basin. Sheriff's aircraft Z appeared to not be monitoring 123.02 as she was busy flying the pursuit and talking to ATC. The los angeles professional helicopter pilot's association put out a safety awareness booklet several yrs ago in effort to get all news media and law enforcement helicopters on the same sheet of music regarding pursuits or any event where news and police operations are working in the same area. The book suggests news media stay well clear of police operations. This means to stay at an altitude well above. There is not specific altitude. The news media folks are then to work it out among themselves as to what altitudes they hover at and maintain visual separation when filming. This policy seems to work out successfully here in our area 99% of the time. After a while we all become familiar with each other's plting skills and learn what we can and cannot do to fly harmoniously together -- except yesterday. 3 times tv Y interfered with my job as a police helicopter pilot. He was at my altitude in close proximity or coming at me nearly head-on. One time he came from behind me, swung around on my left rear blind side and was just below me starting to climb underneath me. 2 times I nervously asked him if he saw me and he said yes. After I saw the top of his helicopter on the second incident, I asked him to go wider and higher. He said ok, then 1 min later he was at my altitude coming at me from my 11:30 O'clock position. At this point my built-up trust of his ability to fly safely went out the window. He is one of the more experienced news gathering pilots in this area. The second half of the pursuit I spent mostly concerned about a midair with tv Y rather than doing my job. Later I spoke to tv pilot Y by phone. He apologized and said it wouldn't happen again. One of his excuses was that he had lost the pursuit vehicle and thus lost his shot. Second, he said he wasn't used to flying above 2 police helicopters that high. He said on previous pursuits (he has had way more than me), that usually when a second police air unit is overhead they are no higher than 800 ft AGL (usually one at 500 ft AGL or lower and the other 300 ft above the lower one). My personal criteria, airspace and traffic permitting, is at least 500-600 ft vertical separation. This allows for errors on both our parts. Human performance considerations: to protect myself in the future, I will tell all media ships to be at a minimum of 500 ft above me, knowing that some cheat, they'll probably be lower or to fall back. Factors affecting quality of human performance: the news media pilot's ego and desire to get the best footage for his affiliate, causing him to show poor judgement and make a bad decision to manipulate unsafely close to me.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A POLICE HELI PLT'S RPT ON MULTIPLE NMACS WITH A TV NEWS HELI PLT ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN AERIAL SHOTS OF A HIGH SPD VEHICLE PURSUIT 6 NM NW OF LGB, CA.

Narrative: THE EVENT OCCURRED IN A LOS ANGELES COUNTY VEHICLE PURSUIT IN AN AREA JUST 3-6 MI NW OF LGB. SHERIFF'S CRAFT WAS THE PRIMARY SHIP OVERHEAD, R-HAND ORBITS, AT 500 FT MSL. I WAS THE SECOND SHERIFF'S BIRD OVERHEAD. WE WERE OVERHEAD MONITORING THE PURSUIT AS BACKUP FOR SHERIFF'S ACFT. WE WERE BTWN 1000-1100 FT MSL. THE FIRST NEWS MEDIA HELI ON SCENE CAME OVER THE PURSUIT WHILE WE AND SHERIFF'S ACFT WERE IN LGB CLASS D AIRSPACE. SHERIFF'S ACFT Z AND WE WERE ON LGB CTAF FREQ 120.5. WE HAD ONLY 1 RADIO, SO WE WERE UNABLE TO BETTER COORD WITH THE NEWS MEDIA SHIP ON AIR-TO-AIR FREQ OF 123.02. 123.02 IS A POS RPTING FREQ IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN. SHERIFF'S ACFT Z APPEARED TO NOT BE MONITORING 123.02 AS SHE WAS BUSY FLYING THE PURSUIT AND TALKING TO ATC. THE LOS ANGELES PROFESSIONAL HELI PLT'S ASSOCIATION PUT OUT A SAFETY AWARENESS BOOKLET SEVERAL YRS AGO IN EFFORT TO GET ALL NEWS MEDIA AND LAW ENFORCEMENT HELIS ON THE SAME SHEET OF MUSIC REGARDING PURSUITS OR ANY EVENT WHERE NEWS AND POLICE OPS ARE WORKING IN THE SAME AREA. THE BOOK SUGGESTS NEWS MEDIA STAY WELL CLR OF POLICE OPS. THIS MEANS TO STAY AT AN ALT WELL ABOVE. THERE IS NOT SPECIFIC ALT. THE NEWS MEDIA FOLKS ARE THEN TO WORK IT OUT AMONG THEMSELVES AS TO WHAT ALTS THEY HOVER AT AND MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WHEN FILMING. THIS POLICY SEEMS TO WORK OUT SUCCESSFULLY HERE IN OUR AREA 99% OF THE TIME. AFTER A WHILE WE ALL BECOME FAMILIAR WITH EACH OTHER'S PLTING SKILLS AND LEARN WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT DO TO FLY HARMONIOUSLY TOGETHER -- EXCEPT YESTERDAY. 3 TIMES TV Y INTERFERED WITH MY JOB AS A POLICE HELI PLT. HE WAS AT MY ALT IN CLOSE PROX OR COMING AT ME NEARLY HEAD-ON. ONE TIME HE CAME FROM BEHIND ME, SWUNG AROUND ON MY L REAR BLIND SIDE AND WAS JUST BELOW ME STARTING TO CLB UNDERNEATH ME. 2 TIMES I NERVOUSLY ASKED HIM IF HE SAW ME AND HE SAID YES. AFTER I SAW THE TOP OF HIS HELI ON THE SECOND INCIDENT, I ASKED HIM TO GO WIDER AND HIGHER. HE SAID OK, THEN 1 MIN LATER HE WAS AT MY ALT COMING AT ME FROM MY 11:30 O'CLOCK POS. AT THIS POINT MY BUILT-UP TRUST OF HIS ABILITY TO FLY SAFELY WENT OUT THE WINDOW. HE IS ONE OF THE MORE EXPERIENCED NEWS GATHERING PLTS IN THIS AREA. THE SECOND HALF OF THE PURSUIT I SPENT MOSTLY CONCERNED ABOUT A MIDAIR WITH TV Y RATHER THAN DOING MY JOB. LATER I SPOKE TO TV PLT Y BY PHONE. HE APOLOGIZED AND SAID IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. ONE OF HIS EXCUSES WAS THAT HE HAD LOST THE PURSUIT VEHICLE AND THUS LOST HIS SHOT. SECOND, HE SAID HE WASN'T USED TO FLYING ABOVE 2 POLICE HELIS THAT HIGH. HE SAID ON PREVIOUS PURSUITS (HE HAS HAD WAY MORE THAN ME), THAT USUALLY WHEN A SECOND POLICE AIR UNIT IS OVERHEAD THEY ARE NO HIGHER THAN 800 FT AGL (USUALLY ONE AT 500 FT AGL OR LOWER AND THE OTHER 300 FT ABOVE THE LOWER ONE). MY PERSONAL CRITERIA, AIRSPACE AND TFC PERMITTING, IS AT LEAST 500-600 FT VERT SEPARATION. THIS ALLOWS FOR ERRORS ON BOTH OUR PARTS. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: TO PROTECT MYSELF IN THE FUTURE, I WILL TELL ALL MEDIA SHIPS TO BE AT A MINIMUM OF 500 FT ABOVE ME, KNOWING THAT SOME CHEAT, THEY'LL PROBABLY BE LOWER OR TO FALL BACK. FACTORS AFFECTING QUALITY OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE: THE NEWS MEDIA PLT'S EGO AND DESIRE TO GET THE BEST FOOTAGE FOR HIS AFFILIATE, CAUSING HIM TO SHOW POOR JUDGEMENT AND MAKE A BAD DECISION TO MANIPULATE UNSAFELY CLOSE TO ME.

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.