Newport Beach Helicopter Crash: 3 Killed, Police Say

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A small helicopter crashed into a home on Egret Court in Newport Beach Tuesday afternoon, killing 3 people, according to Newport Beach Police. According to the FAA and Newport Beach Police Department, there were four people on board the helicopter when it crashed. Another person, a bystander on the ground, was also injured.

John Wayne Airport confirmed that the four seat Robinson 44 helicopter, owned by Revolution Aviation, and was roughly one mile southeast of JWA to where it crash landed in a plume of smoke, according to witnesses from the scene. It is unclear if the helicopter was on its way back to the airport, or whether it had just taken off as of this report.

Emergency vehicles responded and crews worked to extract those from the wreckage, according to Newport Beach Fire Chief Chip Duncan. Three people died in the crash, and two other people, one from the hospital and the bystander, were taken to hospitals for treatment.

A witness at the scene told ABC7 that the copter appeared to clip the tile roof of one home then skid along the ground through the residential intersection before smashing into a side wall where it came to a smoking halt. Though the homeowners were inside at the time of the crash, no one in the house was injured.

The crash "sounded like a train coming through," the witness told media at the scene. Shetold ABC7 she "saw one man out," of the helicopter. "I'm not sure if he fell out, and there was body parts ..."

She said she put her hand on the wreckage and prayed for the victims.

According to the company's website, Orange County-based Revolution Aviation has been operating since the 1960s, offering pilot training and sightseeing trips. The website has boasted a 100-percent safety record, which came to a bitter end, Tuesday.

"FAA inspectors are en route to the scene, the circumstances of the crash remain unknown," Ian Gregor, Public Affairs Manager for the FAA told Patch. "The FAA and NTSB will investigate."

At the time of this report, it is unclear how the helicopter crashed, or if anyone was home at the time. The Newport Beach Police Department has asked residents to avoid the area.

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