Two firefighting helicopters responding to a wildfire on Sunday in Southern California collided with one another in mid-air. One chopper was in a position to land safely. The opposite plane crashed into the bottom, killing all three folks onboard. Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB) is now investigating the occasions that led to the collision and deadly crash.
Based on CNN, six fixed-wing and rotary-wing plane responded to a small three-acre wildfire in Cabazon, a small neighborhood 80 miles east of Los Angeles. The NTSB said {that a} Bell 407 and a Sikorsky S-64E helicopter collided in the course of the response.
Cal Hearth Southern Area Chief David Fulcher mentioned in a press convention, “Sadly, the second helicopter crashed and tragically all three members perished, which included one Cal Hearth Division chief, one Cal Hearth captain and one contract shopper pilot.” The victims had been the primary of the 2023 California wildfire season.
The crash ignited its personal four-acre hearth. Each the preliminary blaze and the helicopter hearth had been each extinguished. Fulcher added, “Though this was a tragic occasion, we’re additionally grateful immediately that it wasn’t worse. The people within the first helicopter had been in a position to in a position to land safely with out incident and nobody else was harm.” It’s not but clear how the 2 helicopters collided.