FAA Investigating Helicopter Crash in Griffith Park: LAFD Says Victims from Redlands

The FAA on Friday was investigating a helicopter crash landing in Griffith Park, ending a Thursday afternoon flight that a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said originated in Redlands.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday said the helicopter's last take-off before the crash was from Brackett Field in La Verne.

Four people, including a flight instructor and a student, sustained minor injuries, according to LAFD spokesman Erik Scott and the FAA.

The airship, described as a Robinson R44 helicopter, departed from Brackett Field for an instructional flight, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told Redlands-Loma Linda Patch.

"A student, flight instructor and two others were on board," Gregor said in an email June 7. "The student had a private pilot certificate and was working toward earning his commercial pilot certificate."

The helicopter was on a routine flight from Redlands, "circled over Santa Monica and was headed back to the Inland Empire when it started experiencing mechanical trouble," Scott said.

The helicopter was near Griffith Park when a gear box warning light came on, Gregor said. The pilot attempted a precautionary landing in response to the warning light, and the airship tipped over during the landing.

Scott with LAFD said the Fire Department received multiple 911 calls about a downed helicopter near McComb Helispot, above Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course.

The four people on board suffered cuts and bruises, and the helicopter was badly damaged, Gregor said. Scott said the pilot and three passengers, a 25-year-old man and two women, ages 33 and 25, did not require hospitalization.

Salvage crews planned to airlift the helicopter out of the park and transport it to a hangar near Palmdale on Friday, Gregor said.

The National Transportation Safety Board was also investigating the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration's registry indicated the 2006 Robinson helicopter was owned by Mile High Rotors LLC, based in Colorado, Scott said.