Helicopter Crashes in Desert, Killing All 3 On Board
A civilian helicopter crashed Saturday in an isolated desert area of San Bernardino County, killing all three people aboard and igniting a small fire, authorities said.
The accident occurred about 4:30 p.m. near Landers, not far from the Twentynine Palms Air Ground Combat Center, said Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Taylor.
Witnesses told investigators that the helicopter seemed to experience engine trouble shortly before it plunged to the ground, sparking a small fire.
“They said the aircraft was breaking apart,” Taylor said. No one on the ground was harmed.
Flames charred three acres before firefighters managed to contain the blaze, Taylor said.
The identities of the three people on board the Sikorsky Skycrane were not immediately known. The helicopter was traveling west, but officials were not certain about its destination or point of origin, Taylor said.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators were expected today to begin examining the wreckage, some of which landed about a mile from the crash site, the sheriff’s spokesman said.
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