Monroe Smith, 67, a pilot from Glenside, and Christopher Dougherty, 45, a photographer from Oreland, were in 6ABC’s Chopper 6 when it crashed in Washington Township, New Jersey on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.

6ABC published a posthumous article in their honor yesterday titled “Remembering the colleagues we lost in the Chopper 6 crash one year ago”.

The 6ABC crew members were on their way back from an assignment at the Jersey shore, 6ABC reported a year ago. The chopper took off from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport before 7:30pm.

“Monroe was a true aviator. He loved his job. He loved flying, everything about it. Everything. It was his true passion,” said Rosalyn Collins, Monroe’s wife.

“They are described as the best guys that you would want to know, on the job for decades,” reporter Maggie Kent, a colleague, said. “They are highly skilled in what they do. They loved their craft.”

“The crew members have a long history with our station and have been working as part of the Action News team for years,” 6ABC wrote.

In January, Tommy Conwell of the Philly-based band “Tommy Conwell & the Young Rumblers” recorded a song written by Dougherty. The Royal Music & Arts Center in Glenside hosted “Rock for Doc: Celebrating the life & music of Chris Dougherty” on Saturday, May 18

The NTSB issued a preliminary report earlier this year. The final report has yet to be released, 6ABC said.

Their video coverage from yesterday is below:

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Photos: 6ABC