At least 3 are injured on the ground after helicopter crashes in California
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Rylee Kirk
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At least three people on the ground were injured after a helicopter crashed in Huntington Beach, California, on Oct 11, police said.
The helicopter crashed at around 2pm local time (2am on Oct 12, Singapore time) in a parking lot along the beach, the Huntington Beach Police Department said on social media. Photos from the scene show the helicopter landed on what appears to be a staircase leading to a pedestrian bridge.
Two people on board the helicopter were pulled “safely” from the wreckage, police said, adding that three other people on the ground were injured.
All five were taken to a hospital, according to police, who did not provide details about the severity of the victims’ injuries.
Police asked residents to avoid the area along the Pacific Coast Highway between Huntington Street and Beach Boulevard for several hours. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified, police said.
It was not clear what led to the crash.
The helicopter was part of a Cars ‘N Copters On The Coast event scheduled for Oct 12, police said.
The event brings “unique hypercars” and helicopters to the beach and benefits the Huntington Beach Police and Community Foundation, according to the event’s website.
As part of the event, a “VIP Helicopter Landing Party” was held on Oct 11. The event appears to have been held a block from where the helicopter crashed. Organisers could not immediately be reached.
Mr Tom Polkow was riding his bicycle along the beach when he stopped to watch a helicopter flying low. He said the helicopter appeared to be showing off for people in the hotels and had been flying very close to palm trees.
“(It) just started spinning out of control and then went down on (its) side on a pedestrian staircase that goes up over Pacific Coast Highway to the hotels,” Mr Polkow said.
He saw something fall from the helicopter while watching it spiral, he said.
The wreckage of the helicopter that crashed can be seen in the background, behind the fire engine, on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, California, on Oct 11.
PHOTO: AFP
After the crash, a tree was broken in two, and the helicopter’s propellers were broken, he said. The engine of the helicopter could still be heard running.
“After a while, it started smoking, and then started getting black, and I moved,” Mr Polkow said. “At that point I moved back a ways and went behind a snack bar building ’cause I thought this could blow up.”
Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire, he said.
“It’s just a shocking thing to see,” he said.
Videos posted to social media showed the helicopter spinning out of control and spiralling downwards as pedestrians fled. Another video showed emergency medical workers helping a person on the ground. NYTIMES
