Helicopter Crashes In Sherman Oaks Neighborhood

SHERMAN OAKS, CA — Four people are lucky to be alive today after a helicopter made a crash landing in Sherman Oaks Friday. Four people aboard the helicopter suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The two men, woman and teen aboard the helicopter got out safely. All were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Valley Heart Drive from Noble to Sepulveda Boulevard was shut down, said Margaret Stewart, Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman.

"The pilot limited damage (on the ground) to a small section of fence," Stewart said. "No homes were damaged and no one on the ground was injured."

Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department described the crash as more of a hard landing,

"It was a helicopter that may have had a hard landing," said LAPD spokeswoman Liliana Preciado.

There were no structures or vehicles on the ground damaged, she added. There was no fire, and the cause of the crash was under investigation. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

According to preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot of the Robinson R44 "called May-Day ... and then made a hard landing on a residential street."

"The helicopter sustained substantial damage," the FAA reported.

Richard Hart of National Helicopter Service, the Van Nuys company that owns the helicopter, told reporters at the scene he was "ecstatic" no one suffered more than minor injuries, as he had been informed.

He also praised the pilot, saying all the training all of the company's pilots undergo paid off.

The site is just north of the Ventura (101) Freeway, which was not affected, according to the California Highway Patrol.

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City News Service contributed to this report. Photo Youtube Screengrab