Three Killed And Two Injured In Southern California After A Helicopter Crashed Into A House

At least three has been reported dead and two injured in a tragic helicopter crash in Newport Beach, California Tuesday afternoon. The Newport Fire Department Chief Chip Duncan confirmed the fatalities. The Newport Beach Police reported four people were onboard when the chopper crashed at Egret Court and Shearwater Place in the Bay View Terrace community, nearby the Newport Beach.

At Least Three People Killed And Two Injured In Newport Beach, California, Neighborhood After A Helicopter Crashed Into A House On Tuesday Afternoon.

• The Robinson R44 helicopter, carrying four passengers, hit the yard and wall of a house near Newport Beach Tuesday afternoon.
• The helicopter crashed into the house around 1:30 in the afternoon, which involved five people including a bystander
• The Newport police confirmed at least three fatalities and two severe injuries in the accident.

At least three has been reported dead and two injured in a tragic helicopter crash in Newport Beach, California Tuesday afternoon. The Newport Fire Department Chief Chip Duncan confirmed the fatalities.

The Newport Beach Police reported four people were onboard when the chopper crashed at Egret Court and Shearwater Place in the Bay View Terrace community, nearby the Newport Beach.

The aircraft is reportedly Robinson R44 which struck the yard and wall of the home and one of the tail rotors lodged in the tiled roof of a home across the street.

Later in the afternoon, the New Port police tweeted mentioning five people were involved in the crash.

Update: 5 persons involved, 4 in helicopter and one bystander on the ground. Confirmed 3 fatalities.

— Newport Beach Police (@NewportBeachPD) January 30, 2018

Two injured were taken to a local trauma center with unknown injuries, police reported. A woman living in the neighborhood told ABC7 that she knew the people who lived in the home where the aircraft crashed. She said,

I thought it was falling on my home. It was just this intense loud noise. It sounded like a train coming through.

The woman also said the people were inside the home at the time of an accident; however, they didn't get injured as they were in a back room.

Marian Michaels, living in the house, said she was upstairs when the house shook heavily with a loud noise which she thought was an earthquake. She 

Oh my gosh, we're having an earthquake.

Roger Johnson who was working in his garage during the accident said,

I turned to look out of the garage and that's when I see this piece of metal flying through the air and hitting a bush and garage door.

The helicopter is based out of John Wayne Airport; Orange County had only traveled a mile from the airport before going down. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, Ian Gregor said the helicopter crashed 'under unknown circumstances' after it took off from the John Wayne Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA have been conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.