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Huntington Beach chopper crash: What we know about the 1980 Bell 222 helicopter – first details out
A 1980 Bell 222 helicopter (tail number N222EX), owned by aviation influencer Eric Nixon, crashed in the Southern California city of Huntington Beach.
A 1980 Bell 222 helicopter (tail number N222EX), owned by aviation influencer Eric Nixon, crashed in the Southern California city of Huntington Beach in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, October 11, leading to five people being hospitalized. In the aftermath of the tragedy, many are curious about the chopper that was involved.
The crash took place just after 2 pm local time near the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Street, Huntington Beach firefighters confirmed, as reported by CBS News. City officials told the outlet that the two people were safely rescued from the wreckage of the crash. Three pedestrians were also injured in the incident. All five were hospitalized.
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What we know about the 1980 Bell 222 helicopter
According to FlightAware, the 1980 BELL 222 Rotorcraft has 10 seats/2 engines. It weighs 12,500-19,999 lbs and has a speed of 172 mph. The registry source is FAA. According to Aircraft.com, the “1980 Bell 222SP (N222EX) has 1845 total flight hours, 970 engine hours, dual controls, rotor brake, and a Garmin GNS530. It has 6-place club seating.”
As police began investigating the crash, they closed PCH between Huntington Street and Beach Boulevard at around 3 pm. People were urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes for several hours after the closure was announced.
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After the crash, scattered debris was visible in the beach access parking lot. A large part of the area had been blocked off by police tape. While the chopper’s tail broke off in the crash, the rest of the aircraft was still wedged between the staircase and palm trees as of 4:30 pm. As of now, it remains unclear what caused the chopper to crash.
