Copter Crashes in Rental Car Lot; 4 Hurt
A helicopter apparently lost a rotor before crashing in a rental car parking lot during takeoff at the Sonoma County Airport on Friday, injuring four of the five people aboard.
The helicopter was taking off when it stalled and fell 50 feet into an Avis car rental lot near the airport firehouse, crushing one vehicle, an airport control tower spokesman said.
“It landed right on top of one of our cars, totaling it and damaging a couple of others,” said Patty Stephens, manager at Avis. “The rotor came off the helicopter and one propeller hit the terminal seconds before the crash.”
She said the small terminal area was crowded with people waiting for the arrival of a 90-passenger jetliner from Los Angeles when the accident occurred.
There was no fire, and those aboard the chopper were quickly rushed to two local hospitals. One person refused treatment and four others were admitted, two with major injuries, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. Their identities were not released.
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