Overview

• The aircraft went down just after 2 p.m. along Pacific Coast Highway near the Cars 'N Copters event site by the Hyatt Regency and Waterfront Beach Resort.
• Two people aboard were rescued from the wreckage and three pedestrians were injured, and officials have not released the patients' conditions.
• City officials said the FAA and NTSB were notified, and sections of Pacific Coast Highway were closed for hours as crews secured the scene.
• Bystander videos show the helicopter rotating before striking palm trees and becoming wedged against a pedestrian stairway adjacent to the beach.
• Reporting identifies the helicopter as a 1980 Bell 222 with tail number N222EX registered to Eric Nixon, while witness suggestions of a tail-rotor failure or bird strike remain unverified.