Helicopter Used In Firefight Crashes In Banning Backyard, 3 Injured

BANNING, CA — Three people aboard a helicopter assigned to help battle the Fairview fire were injured when the chopper crashed Saturday afternoon in a Banning backyard, authorities confirmed.

The Bell 206 helicopter went down at approximately 3:52 p.m. as it attempted to land at Banning Municipal Airport located at 200 S. Hathaway Street, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokesperson Rob Roseen.

The chopper's crew of three — one pilot and two fire personnel — sustained moderate injuries and were transported to a local trauma center for treatment and evaluation, according to a Cal Fire media advisory.

Roseen did not confirm whether the two fire personnel were Cal Fire employees. Multiple fire agencies from across the region have responded to the Fairview fire burning near Hemet.

No other injuries were reported.

The chopper was privately owned and had been contracted by Cal Fire to assist in the firefight, according to Roseen.

The Bell 206 is not used to drop water or fire retardant, Roseen said, although he could not confirm what the chopper was being used for.

The aircraft is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engine helicopters widely used for transport, law enforcement, medevac, search and rescue, and other uses, according to a spec sheet from the state of West Virginia's Aviation Division.

The Federal Aviation Administration's registry showed the crashed chopper is a 1980 Bell 206L-1 that is registered to B3 Consultants LLC in Delaware.

The crash cause is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

As of Saturday afternoon, the Fairview fire had burned 28,307 acres with 40% containment, according to Cal Fire officials.