Glendale police helicopter under inspection after unscheduled landing
A thorough servicing of a Glendale police helicopter must be performed, according to police officials, following an unscheduled landing at Dodger Stadium early Saturday morning.
The helicopter made the precautionary landing at 12:27 a.m. after a yellow light lit up on its dashboard, indicating that metal may have been in the oil supply, Glendale Police spokesman Sgt. Tom Lorenz said in an email.
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FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this post misstated the nature of the landing. The helicopter made a precautionary landing, not an emergency one. In addition, the indicator light was yellow, not red. Additionally, Glendale and Burbank co-own a fleet of three helicopters.
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Once such a light goes on, helicopter crew members are supposed to look for a location that is clear and open so they can land.
“Dodger Stadium is open and safe,” Lorenz said, adding that the aircraft landed in the parking lot.
The Glendale helicopter crew was in Los Angeles assisting the L.A. Police Department, which had reported that one of its motor officers was incapacitated and needed immediate help.
A mechanic inspected the helicopter after it landed without incident. The mechanic found metal on a magnetic plug that traps contaminants and warns crew members via a dashboard light. A more thorough inspection will still need to be done.
The helicopter was last serviced 400 flight-hours ago and it is still under warranty. The airship was towed back to its heliport after the emergency landing.
It’s unclear how long the inspection will take, Lorenz said, comparing the situation to taking one’s car in for service at a dealership.
Glendale and Burbank co-own a fleet of three helicopters. Earlier this month, the Glendale City Council agreed to split the cost of a new $2.9 million helicopter to replace the 20-year-old one it shares with its neighbor.
-- Brittany Levine, brittany.levine@latimes.com
Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @brittanylevine
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