Calif. Helicopter Crash Kills One, Instructor Badly Injured
A helicopter crashed into a wash in a remote area near a highway near Santa Clarita, Calif., killing a student and injuring the flight instructor on board, authorities said.
The crash occurred shortly after 2:20 p.m. near Highway 126, about 35 miles north of Los Angeles. A 25-year-old man was killed and the instructor suffered severe head injuries and was airlifted to County-USC Medical Center, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Larry Gump.
The victims’ identities were not immediately released.
The helicopter was registered to a flight school in Van Nuys, Gump said. It wasn’t immediately known who was behind the aircraft’s controls and the cause of the crash is under investigation.
Gump said there were downed power lines near the crash site but it wasn’t known if the chopper had struck them.
The area is often used for helicopter training, authorities said.