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The 6abc helicopter was en route from an assignment near Atlantic City, New Jersey when it crashed in Wharton State Forest around 8 p.m. on Dec. 19, the station said previously.
Pilot Monroe Smith, 67, of Glenside, and videographer Christopher Dougherty, 45, of Oreland, both died in the wreck.
In its first preliminary report on the crash issued Wednesday, Jan. 17, the National Transportation Safety Board said it found "No anomalies of the engine were discovered that would have precluded normal operation."
The helicopter, an American Eurocopter Corp. AS350B2, had refueled before taking off from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE) around 7:20 p.m., investigators said. It was the craft's third flight of the day.
It took about 20 minutes to fly to Smithville, New Jersey, where the crew collected aerial footage for about 10 minutes before the news desk cleared them to return to PNE, officials said.
Chopper 6 veered from its flight path at 8:01 p.m. and began to descend about a minute later, NTSB investigators said.
Its final recorded position at 8:03:37 showed the helicopter under 250 feet while moving at a groundspeed of 115 knots, according to authorities. A witness around that time recalled seeing "a solid light traveling quickly at a steep angle," while another described a "giant orange ball" crashing into the forest, the report says.
Investigators added they are holding onto the wreckage for further examination.
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