Five people, including a child, were taken to a hospital after a helicopter crashed near the busy Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Huntington Beach, California, CBS News reported.
The crash happened just after 2 p.m. on Saturday, about a parking lot off PCH between Beach Boulevard and Twin Dolphins Drive, according to the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
Both passengers on the helicopter survived and were pulled from the wreckage. Three pedestrians on the street were also injured. All five people were rushed to a nearby hospital, but their conditions remain unreported as of Saturday evening.
In response, the Huntington Beach Police closed a stretch of PCH between Huntington Street and Beach Boulevard at roughly 3 p.m. Officials told motorists and residents to stay away, explaining the road would stay shut for several hours while investigators look into the crash.
Social‑media videos show the helicopter spinning out of control before hitting palm trees and the stairway of a pedestrian bridge that leads to the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa. Another clip appears to capture an object falling from the helicopter just moments before it plunged to the ground.
Aerial photos from SkyCal show debris scattered across the beach‑access parking lot, now cordoned off with police tape.
The helicopter’s tail broke off on impact, leaving the main body wedged between palm trees and the stairwell as of 4:30 p.m. Nearby, several other small helicopters were parked in the same lot, right in front of the Hyatt Regency and the Waterfront Beach Resort.
Witness Kevin Bullat described seeing the helicopter spiral out of control and noted debris flying across PCH. “I heard an odd sound,” he said. “Someone saw shrapnel or debris catapulting across the road.”
The cause of the crash is still unknown. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been notified, city officials said.
The helicopter was a 1980 Bell 222, powered by two turboshaft engines.
Source: aninews
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