MOUNT BALDY: Four rescued from mountainside after helicopter crash

Rescuers responded to the scene of a helicopter crash in the Mount Baldy area. KABC7 photo

 

MOUNT BALDY – A helicopter crash in the Mount Baldy area in San Bernardino County prompted a rescue operation by the San Bernardino County Fire Department Thursday, Dec. 29.

Four people were in the helicopter, a Robinson R44, when it made a “hard landing” shortly before noon, according to fire officials. The downed helicopter sustained extensive damage to its tail section and the twin rotors were left twisted and bent from the crash.

The incident happened about 1,000 feet below the Mount Baldy summit, according to fire officials, who updated information about the crash and rescue efforts on Twitter.

Hikers at the scene reported the crashed helicopter’s pilot and three passengers were “awake and talking,” officials updated on the department’s Twitter.

A fire department helicopter responded to the crash scene, updating that the site was  inaccessible to ground units.

San Bernardino County Fire Department’s Air Rescue 7 landed nearby the scene of the wreck and rescuers made their way to the four occupants from the downed chopper.

The helicopter then flew the pilot and three passengers to a safe landing zone at Cow Canyon Saddle. Once the victims were brought to a lower elevation, paramedics assessed and treated their injuries.

Shortly before 1 p.m., fire officials updated that one person had been flown by air ambulance to a local area trauma center. Another was taken to a hospital by ground ambulance. The two other victims were treated for minor injuries and declined further treatment.

“From what I understand it was a pretty hard landing,” San Bernardino County Fire Battalion Chief Doug Nelson said in other interviews. “They’re very lucky it was on top of the ridge and not to the side of the ridge.”

None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, according to fire officials.

The helicopter, which is based at Hangar 21 at Fullerton Airport in Orange County, had been chartered by a group with plans to record a video.

According to officials, the helicopter had been rented from the company that owns the helicopter for a charter flight. The passengers reportedly brought cameras and a drone with them.

Within hours of the crash and rescue, a Federal Aviation Administration representative was flown to the scene to investigate the scene of the crash. National Transportation Safety Board officials was also notified and were responding to the scene of the wreck.

No plans have been made yet to remove the damaged helicopter from the mountainside.

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.