Three people are killed as PG&E helicopter hits 115,000-volt power line and crashes before bursting into flames north of San Francisco
- Incident occurred outside Fairfield on Tuesday afternoon
- The aircraft clipped a power line and burst into flames as it fell from the sky
- The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are now conducting an investigation
- The identity of the three passengers have not been disclosed; it is not believed the aircraft was covering George Floyd protests underway in surrounding areas
Three PG&E contractors have been killed in a helicopter crash northeast of San Francisco after the aircraft clipped a power line and burst into flames.
The three contractors were reportedly working on high voltage lines outside of Fairfield when the accident happened shortly after 1pm on Tuesday.
The flames from the Bell 206 chopper sparked a seven-acre grass fire that was eventually put out by fire crews.
KCRA Sacramento reports that 36,000 PG&E customers in surrounding areas are currently affected by power outages.
The crash ignited a five acre grass fire that was eventually put out by fire fighters. Smoke was seen billowing from the crash scene for hours.
A helicopter carrying three people crashed northeast of San Francisco Tuesday afternoon before it burst into flames
KCRA Sacramento reports that the aircraft reportedly hit a power line as it fell from the sky . 38,000 PG&E customers are currently affected by a power outage related to the crash
The Federal Aviation Authority and thee National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the incident Tuesday afternoon and are now conducting an investigation.
They did not provide any details about the passengers.
Three firefighters were reportedly injured while responding to the accident, when their water tanker overturned en route to the crash scene.
It is not believed the helicopter was covering or patrolling any George Floyd protests that are currently underway in surrounding areas.
The incident comes four months after basketball legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter and seven others in Southern California.
Smoke was seen billowing from the crash site outside of Fairfield, California. The city is located around 50 miles northeast of San Francisco