Man injured after helicopter’s rough landing at Riverside Municipal Airport
One man was hospitalized Friday morning after a helicopter’s “hard landing” in Riverside Municipal Airport, officials said.
Just before 11 a.m., the helicopter attempted to land when the tail rotor, the rear end of the helicopter, broke off completely, said Dave McClellan, a spokesman for the Riverside Fire Department. The helicopter spun around before landing upright on its skids.
During the landing, the man fell out of the helicopter onto the ground, McClellan said. The other occupant was uninjured.
“There was no fire or any leaks,” McClellan said. “It’s unknown why it was a rough landing.”
McClellan said the Fire Department had received unconfirmed reports that the two occupants were practicing an autorotation. He could not confirm whether the occupants were student and trainer pilots.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the incident.
alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com
Twitter: @r_valejandra
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