2 Killed as Helicopter Crashes in Rescue of Motorcycle Victim
A medical helicopter flying an injured off-road motorcyclist to a hospital crashed Sunday after striking a power line in the Cajon Pass area of San Bernardino County, killing the pilot and a nurse and critically injuring the cyclist, authorities said.
Killed in the crash of the Aero spatiale Twin Star jet helicopter were pilot David Skala, 40, of Los Alamitos, and Cheryl Collins, 39, of Hesperia, said a spokeswoman for Medical Air Transport of Riverside, which operated the aircraft. Both had worked for the firm since it was founded 18 months ago, she said.
The survivor, whose name was not immediately available, was a 26-year-old motorcyclist who had sustained head and neck injuries in an earlier accident in the desert near Interstate 15 and was being taken to a hospital, sheriff’s deputies said.
After hitting the power line in foggy, rainy weather shortly after 1 p.m., the helicopter flipped and fell into a gully, deputies said. The survivor was found strapped to a gurney.
Shortly before the crash, Skala radioed that he had encountered bad weather and was turning back to Victorville, the air transport spokeswoman said.
The motorcyclist was in critical condition at San Bernardino County Hospital.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
