A commercial helicopter crash-landed in Los Angeles on Friday, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries for it’s pilot and all three passengers.
The incident unfolded around noon in Sherman Oaks, a residential section of the San Fernando Valley, not far from a major highway interchange and the Los Angeles River.
The chopper’s pilot made a mayday call to the Van Nuys airport “and then made a hard landing on a residential street,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Firefighters arrived moments later to find the helicopter mostly destroyed, but damages to both people and property were otherwise limited, according to authorities.
“This pilot, I have to say, expertly put this craft down despite whatever issue he had,” said Battalion Chief Daniel Curry of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “He was able to avoid structures; he was able to avoid cars; he was able to avoid people and put the craft down. He did damage a fence but, all in all, it was a good outcome.”
All four of the people on board had exited the aircraft on their own by the time emergency personnel arrived at the scene, he told KTLA. They suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.
Those injured in the crash include two men in their mid-50s, a 26-year-old woman and a teenage girl, ABC7 reported.
The helicopter involved was a Robinson Clipper registered to National Helicopter Service & Engineering, an Encino-based company that offers tours, chartered flights and other services. The incident marks the company’s first crash-landing in more than 45 years, ABC7 reported.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, City News Service reported.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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