Rotor Strikes Vehicle During Promotional Filming

An Oklahoma television news helicopter went down Wednesday at the Sand Springs-Pogue Airport, while shooting a promotional video.

A witness told KOKI-23 the Bell 206 (type shown above) was being used to film a promotional video of a KOTV-6 satellite truck, when the main rotor struck the dish, or perhaps a large antenna on the truck, causing the helo to spin out of control and break into three separate pieces.

The helo is owned by KOTV, the CBS affiliate in Tulsa. 

The pilot, Joseph "Chopper Joe" Lester, 46, reportedly sustained non-life threatening injuries. A cameraman passenger Dustin Stone, 27, was reportedly uninjured.

"The two victims were able to make it out of the wreckage by themselves," said Sand Springs Deputy Fire Chief Tom Jenkins.

Jenkins said the accident could have been deadly.

"Anytime you're at an altitude and you experience a crash at what appears to be a high velocity impact, you do have a lot of wreckage that is widespread. These are lucky individuals," he said.

FMI: www.ci.sand-springs.ok.us