Helicopter remains to be transferred to Madera
-
1 of 3By Casey Christie / The Californian
Andrew Swick, National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident investigator, holds a news conference Thursday afternoon near Wednesday's helicopter crash site near Delano. The scattered helicopter parts ended up in the grape vineyards behind Swick.
click to collapse -
2 of 3By Casey Christie / The Californian
Sections of the small helicopter that crashed Wednesday morning are seen in this grape vineyard near Delano during Thursday's news conference by the National Transportation Safety Board near Delano.
click to collapse -
3 of 3By Casey Christie / The Californian
Andrew Swick, aviation accident investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, left, walks journalists out of the grape vineyard after Thursday afternoon's news conference regarding the helicopter that crashed in this area Wednesday morning near Delano.
click to collapse
By THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
No answers were available Thursday regarding what caused the helicopter crash that killed 62-year-old pilot Karen L. Johnson.
What's known is that Johnson and the pilot of another helicopter had performed frost control over citrus Wednesday morning and were returning to their home base in Delano when Johnson's helicopter descended into fog and then crashed, said National Transportation Safety Board investigator Andrew Swick. The other pilot saw Johnson go down and then saw a light glow through the fog, apparently from the helicopter catching fire after it crashed.
The helicopters had been traveling at about 1,000 feet above ground level when Johnson plummeted and hit the ground just north of Spangler Road, a half-mile west of Famoso-Porterville Highway, Swick said. A preliminary investigation report is expected to be released within five business days, he said.
Johnson, of Camarillo, flew for San Joaquin Helicopters.
Swick said investigators will transport the pieces of the helicopter to a facility in Madera on Friday for further examination. He said they've recovered all the major structural components.
He said it could take six months to a year to determine why the helicopter crashed. This particular helicopter did not have a black box, a device which records information about the craft and can be used later to further an investigation in the event of an accident.
Facebook
Twitter
Mobile
RSS
Most CommentedMost Popular
Responding to what he called a case that “has consumed the media and our community,” Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said Tuesday he has asked the FBI to conduct a “parallel” investigation into the death of Bakersfield father of four David Sal Silva, who died May 8 after he was beaten by...
Two cellphones confiscated last week from witnesses to the in-custody death of David Sal Silva were returned Wednesday to the attorney representing the witnesses.
About two dozen protesters stood in front of Kern County Superior Court next to the Liberty Bell Thursday morning to make a statement about police brutality.
The death of a man in custody following a prolonged struggle with Kern County Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers and the subsequent fracas over confiscated witness cellphones have gained international attention and raised concerns here that the incidents could tarnish the county's emerging...
The death of Bakersfield father of four David Sal Silva immediately following his apparent beating Wednesday by Kern County law enforcement officers raises questions that have been asked in Bakersfield many times before -- questions about the use of deadly force by police.
Blood stains are still visible on the sidewalk at the corner of Flower Street and Palm Drive, where a Bakersfield man struggled with as many as nine officers and later died this week.
A war of words erupted Friday over video footage taken of David Sal Silva’s deadly encounter with law enforcement officers.
Responding to what he called a case that “has consumed the media and our community,” Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said Tuesday he has asked the FBI to conduct a “parallel” investigation into the death of Bakersfield father of four David Sal Silva, who died May 8 after he was beaten by deputies.