A North Carolina Superior Court judge has ordered Total Traffic & Weather Network to pay $50 million to the family of a Charlotte meteorologist killed in a 2022 helicopter crash alongside pilot Chip Tayag. TTWN has been owned by iHeartMedia since 2017.
Myers and Tayag were on board WBTV’s Sky3 helicopter when it went down over I-77 in Charlotte during a simulated news training flight. The crash occurred on November 22, 2022.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that the likely cause was insufficient aircraft inspections, which led to hardware failure. The final report revealed disconnected components in the flight control system and missing hardware that should have linked the main rotor parts.
The report greatly aided Myers’ widow, Jillian Myers, in her lawsuit filed against TTWN and parent iHeartMedia in March 2023. In a statement, she said, “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.”
The court’s ruling holds TTWN, iHeartMedia, and their primary insurers responsible for the $50 million. An additional $76.3 million is being pursued from excess or umbrella insurance providers.
Myers joined WBTV in 2019 after more than six years as Chief Meteorologist for WTVQ in Lexington, KY. His career also included stops in Richmond, VA, and Abilene, TX. He was a local 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.
The ruling puts the $50 million penalty against TTWN, iHeart, 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.
There is no word as to whether iHeart and TTWN will appeal the decision.
