Los Angeles: Three people were killed in a pre-dawn helicopter crash in a rural area of northern Los Angeles County while filming for a new reality TV show for the Discovery Channel.
The copter crashed at about 3:40 am local time yesterday at the popular filming location of Polsa Rosa Ranch in the city of Acton, Los Angeles County Fire dispatcher Robert Diaz said.
All three people aboard died, Diaz said. Their names weren’t immediately released. The show, listed on a filming permit as an untitled military-theme TV program, had not yet been aired or announced by Discovery, channel spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg said.
“A production company was shooting a show for Discovery Channel when this tragic accident occurred,” the station said in a statement. “We are all cooperating fully with authorities.”
The company had been approved to use a helicopter for a reality TV show shooting at the ranch from Saturday afternoon until yesterday morning, said Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmLA, which processes filming permits for location shootings in the Los Angeles region. Records also showed Crossbow Helicopters received approval to participate in filming from the Federal Aviation Administration. “We wouldn’t have referenced helicopter activity if we didn’t already have pre-approval from the FAA,” Sokoloski said. The cause and other circumstances surrounding the crash are still unknown, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.
Television footage showed mangled wreckage in a rugged canyon area near Soledad Canyon Road. According to its website, Polsa Rosa is a “movie ranch” where film crews can utilize a variety of terrains as well as two airstrips. The ranch, according to the Internet Movie Database, was used in “Windtalkers” and last year’s remake of “Red Dawn.” (AP)
