TV Meteorologist and Pilot Die in Helicopter Crash in North Carolina

A television news helicopter crashed along an interstate highway in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, killing a meteorologist and a pilot for a local station, officials said.

The television station, WBTV, identified those killed in the crash, which occurred around noon along southbound Interstate 77, as Jason Myers, a meteorologist, and Chip Tayag, a pilot. The helicopter, a Robinson R44 nicknamed Sky3, was from the station.

Police officers found the two men dead at the scene, Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.

No other injuries were reported. Chief Jennings said Mr. Tayag had apparently been able to navigate the helicopter to the side of the highway before it crashed.

Chief Jennings said witnesses had told the authorities that it had appeared as if the pilot had made “diversionary moves to avoid traffic.”

“If that is truly the case,” he said during the news conference, which was streamed by WITN-TV, “that pilot is a hero in my eyes, to make sure that the safety and security of those that were driving on the road was not in jeopardy.”

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate it, the authorities said.

“There are two people involved in this crash that won’t be going home to spend time with their loved ones,” Chief Jennings said. “It’s a tragic loss.”

WBTV remembered its colleagues both on and off the air. The two men had infectious smiles and were always kind, the station said.

Mr. Myers grew up watching WBTV, married a childhood friend, Jillian, and had four children with her, the station said. Mr. Tayag had worked at the station since 2017 and had been a pilot for more than 20 years.

“The WBTV family is grieving a terrible loss,” the station said in a statement. “We are working to comfort their families in this difficult time. We appreciate the outpouring of support for our staff and your continued prayers for their families.”