Mother Heard Call for Lower Flight Before Fatal ‘Twilight ‘ Crash

The mother of a 6-year-old girl killed on the “Twilight Zone” movie set tearfully testified Thursday that she heard director John Landis order a helicopter pilot to fly “lower, lower” moments before the aircraft crashed onto her daughter.

Shayah-Huei Chen, who sometimes testified through an interpreter and other times in English, said she had been worried about the “very loud” special-effects explosions and the helicopter, and asked associate producer George Folsey if her daughter was in any danger.

“I asked, ‘Is it dangerous?’ ” she said. “He used his hand to pat my shoulder. He said, ‘Not dangerous, just a very loud sound.’ ”

Chen’s daughter, Renee Chen, 7-year-old Myca Dinh Lee and actor Vic Morrow, 53, were killed when the helicopter, crippled by a powerful special-effects explosion, plummeted onto them as they were wading across a river.

Filming War Scene

The crash occurred about 2:20 a.m. July 23, 1982, during filming of a Vietnam War scene for “Twilight Zone: The Movie” in rural northern Los Angeles County. Prosecutors say the aircraft was only 24 feet above the actors when it began to fall.

Landis, Folsey and three associates are on trial in Superior Court on charges of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of the actors.

Sobbing throughout her testimony, Chen said she was viewing the filming of the war scene from a short distance when the helicopter crashed.

“I saw my child and the actor (Morrow). He carried her across the river,” she testified. “Then John Landis was right behind us and went behind a hill. I saw him with a big speaker. Then I saw the helicopter in the sky above us.

Another Explosion

“Then the producer (Landis) was yelling, ‘Lower! Lower!’ Then I heard another loud explosion and (it was) very windy and dusty.

“Then I saw the helicopter fall on top of the people,” she said, breaking down into loud sobs. “At that moment, I was so scared. I felt something happened to my daughter. I was yelling for my daughter.”

At that point in her testimony, Judge Roger Boren called the noon recess.

Earlier in her testimony, Chen said that during filming a few hours before the crash, she saw Landis carry her crying daughter over to her.

“I saw she was crying. I said ‘Are you scared?’ She said ‘A little bit. I have sand in my eye.’ The actor hold her so tight, it hurt a little bit. Her clothes were wet.’ ”

Chen testified that neither Landis nor Folsey told her before the filming that her daughter would be working near powerful special-effects explosions or a helicopter.

The mother of the Lee child also previously testified that Folsey promised to take care of her son, but failed to warn her the boy would be working near explosions and a helicopter.