A North Carolina state Superior Court Judge on Thursday ordered Total Traffic & Weather Network, owned by iHeartMedia since August 2017, to pay $50 million to the family of the late Jason Myers — a Charlotte TV meteorologist killed in a November 2022 helicopter crash that also claimed the pilot.
Myers was in the air aboard “Sky3” with Chip Tayag at the controls, as part of his duties at Gray Media-owned CBS affiliate WBTV-3 in Charlotte, when the Robinson R44 helicopter they were flying in crashed into the southbound lanes of Interstate 77 in the southern part of the city. That was on November 22, 2022, at around 12:22pm local time. The flight’s purpose was to provide Myers video training over a simulated news scene.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation transpired, and in May 2024 the NTSB suggested TTWN was culpable, with the probable cause of the crash being inadequate inspections. This resulted in an eventual loosening of hardware and subsequent loss of helicopter control, WBTV reported. Furthermore, the Gray-owned station said the final NTSB report determined that a post-crash examination of the flight controls showed hardware that should have been connected to a part on the main rotor was disconnected and the connecting hardware was missing.
The report greatly aided Myers’ widow, Jillian Myers, in her lawsuit filed against TTWN and parent iHeartMedia in March 2023.
Myers had been with WBTV since September 2019 and previously spent 6 1/2 years as the Chief Meteorologist for WTVQ-36, the ABC affiliate serving Lexington, Ky. Prior experience includes stints at WRIC-8 in Richmond; and KRBC-TV in Abilene, Tex., from August 2004-December 2005. Myers was also the local Charlotte-area spokesperson for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Tayag had been employed as an ENG Pilot with TTWN since August 2017. He had been a helicopter pilot since 2008, working as a commercial flyer in Southern Maryland; offering tour rides over the Annapolis and Baltimore areas for one year; and for a company flying survey routes for a utility pipeline. He’s also offered helicopter tours of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The ruling puts the $50 million penalty against TTWN, iHeartMedia and its primary insurers; an additional $76.3 million will be sought by Myers’ widow through TTWN and iHeartMedia’s excess or umbrella insurance carriers.
“This settlement does not bring back the man we lost, but it does represent a formal acknowledgment of the profound impact his death has had on our family,” Jillian Myers said in a news release.
