Los Angeles (KTLA) – Five people were hospitalized after a helicopter crashed on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, California, Saturday afternoon.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash was reported around 2:09 p.m. near the Cars ‘N Copters on the Coast event venue, in front of the Waterfront Beach Resort.
Footage obtained by Nexstar’s KTLA, seen in the video player below, shows the helicopter descending toward the road in view of onlookers, when it suddenly drops and crashes near the road.
In another video shared with KTLA, viewers saw the helicopter hover smoothly overhead before spinning wildly, sending people on the ground fleeing.
You can watch the clip below:
Witnesses said they had seen the rotors flying moments before the helicopter crashed into several palm trees and a bridge walkway in front of the hotel.
According to a Huntington Beach police spokesperson, two people were in the helicopter and both ejected, while three people on the road were injured. All five were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Curt Johnson was standing just feet away from the accident.
“It was literally right over my head,” he told KTLA’s Sarah Welch. “It’s like a nightmare. There was an old man, about 85 years old, who had been hit on the back of his head. He was trying to get a rag out so he could stop the bleeding.”
,[Emergency crews] Took the pilot out and he gave a thumbs up, so I guess he’s in OK condition,” said witness Darrell Hallett.
“The police were telling us to move because they thought it was going to explode,” Grayson Hallett said.
Video from the scene also shows a child being pulled from the debris. No further details were released, including the conditions of the victims or the cause of the crash.
The aircraft is a rare Bell 222, made famous by the 1980s TV show, “Airwolf.”
“The helicopter is connected to tomorrow’s Cars & Copters event,” city officials said in a statement. “The FAA and NTSB have been notified, and the investigation is ongoing.”
Cars ‘N Copters events on the Coast will continue as scheduled on Sunday, October 12.
Luis Zuniga, Sofia Pop Perez and Tracy Mejia contributed to this report.
