Student Pilot Crashes Helicopter At Long Beach Airport

LONG BEACH, CA – A helicopter with a student pilot and flight instructor aboard landed hard and rolled over at the Long Beach Airport Wednesday, causing minor injury to one of the occupants, authorities said. The Robinson R-22 went down about 1:10 p.m. on Pad 3 in the northeast part of the facility, airport spokeswoman Cassie Chauvel said.

Brian Fisk of the Long Beach Fire Department said the helicopter dropped from about 50 feet in the air.

A man in his 40s sustained minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, according to Fisk, who didn't know if the man was the instructor or student pilot. A check of the helicopter's registration number indicated it is owned by Spitzer Helicopter LLC out of Canyon Lake in Riverside County.

City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Image via Jitze Couperus/Flickr