Helicopter carrying 4 makes emergency landing in Sherman Oaks neighborhood
A helicopter made an emergency landing in a Sherman Oaks neighborhood Friday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol said.
The helicopter landed just after noon in the 15000 block of West Valley Heart Drive, near the 101 and 405 freeway interchange, and the aircraft’s four passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.
The pilot made a mayday call to the Van Nuys airport before the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
No one on the ground was injured, authorities said, and no buildings were damaged.
After the incident, Valley Heart Drive was shut down between Noble Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard, officials said.
The passengers were two men, one woman and a teenage girl. All were outside the helicopter when firefighters arrived.
The helicopter, a Robinson Clipper, is registered to National Helicopter Service & Engineering in Encino, FAA records show. The aircraft appeared mostly intact after the incident, although its rotor blades were bent and its windshield was shattered.
The helicopter’s damage was “substantial” the FAA said. The agency along with the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
Staff writer Veronica Rocha contributed to this report.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
UPDATES:
12:55 p.m.: This post was updated with details about the crash.
This article was originally posted at 12:45 p.m.
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