Death marks beginning of Summer in Southland

Barely into the three-day Holiday weekend and at least 3 people perished after a tour helicopter went down on Catalina Island this morning. Engine failure seems the most-likely culprit.

Got the call not long after getting airborne.














By noon, the SoCal approach controller we were communicating with while over the island told us that according to his supervisor, CNN was reporting that a 4th person aboard had perished.

There were 3 bright yellow tarps at the crash site, so that meant that one of the hospitalized had succumbed to their injuries.

By the time we landed @ 220pm, we still hadn't had confirmation from a second source.