Helicopter goes down
courtesy photo
A commercial pilot safely landed a helicopter he was piloting Saturday afternoon in the Yellow Bay area. No one was injured but the aircraft suffered damage to the transmission and rotors.
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YELLOW BAY — A commercial helicopter pilot crash-landed his aircraft in a cherry orchard after possibly making contact with a power line in the Yellow Bay area Saturday afternoon.
The engine stuttered, and as the pilot attempted to land, the props may have suffered damage from a nearby fence. The pilot was not injured, and was the only occupant in the helicopter at the time. He was flying over cherry orchards to remove rainwater from the ripe cherries, according to Lake County Sheriff Don Bell. If water stays in the depression near the stem, the cherries can split and be ruined.
Although the helicopter didn’t suffer much visible damage, the cost of repairs to the engine, transmission and blades could be extensive. “The pilot tells me it could be well over $40 grand,” Bell said. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
