Helicopter crash on island off Southern California coast kills 3

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A tour helicopter crashed in rainy weather on an island off the Southern California coast Saturday morning, killing three people and injuring three others, a county sheriff's deputy said. The helicopter went down on the west end of Santa Catalina Island near Two Harbors, causing a small fire that was quickly doused, authorities said. Helicopters airlifted the three injured to mainland hospitals. County Supervising Fire Dispatcher Melanie Flores said their condition at the time of transport was critical and that they would require treatment for broken bones among other injuries. The Eurocopter AS 350 chopper was a private tour aircraft from Island Express, Deputy Chuck Upton said. Federal Aviation Administration records show the helicopter departed from Long Beach and was scheduled to return to that city. The crash occurred less than an hour after the helicopter picked up passengers on the island. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.