WBTV helicopter crash: Meteorologist Jason Myers and pilot Chip Tayag killed in Charlotte air disaster along I-77

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — A Charlotte news station helicopter pilot is being hailed a hero by authorities in North Carolina’s largest city after crashing on a busy freeway on Tuesday.

The pilot and a TV weatherman were the only people killed in the crash along Interstate 77 in the Yorkmount area, located about six miles southwest of downtown Charlotte.

Mecklenburg County EMS said on Twitter that two people were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said no vehicles were involved in the incident.

WBTV identified those killed as employees: pilot Chip Tayag and meteorologist Jason Myers.

“The WBTV family is mourning a terrible loss. Our Sky3 news helicopter crashed at midday Tuesday with two of our colleagues on board,” a statement from WBTV read.

Charlotte Metropolitan Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings said the helicopter pilot appeared to have done everything in his power to avoid hitting drivers on the highway.

Jennings said Tayag, who had more than 20 years of flying experience, is a hero in his eyes.

Myers graduated from North Carolina State University and worked as a weather observer at Raleigh-Durham International Airport before beginning his career in broadcast weather, according to his WBTV biography.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the helicopter was a Robinson R44. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the causes of the plane crash.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.