Crashed helicopter owned by CL resident

Eric Spitzer. Photo provided by Eric Spitzer.

A helicopter owned by Eric Spitzer, a Canyon Lake resident and former member of the Canyon Lake POA Board of Directors, crashed into a Newport Beach residential neighborhood on Tuesday, killing three of the four occupants on board. The helicopter was on its way to Catalina Island when it crashed.

Eric, owner of Spitzer Helicopter Leasing, said his company leased the R44 to Revolution Aviation, a flight school and touring company. The helicopter is one of seven helicopters Revolution Aviation leases from Eric, who owns a fleet of 85 helicopters.

According to Eric, the pilot was the owner of the flight school. “He was an acquaintance of mine,” said Eric. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families involved in this terrible accident.”

Police and fire personnel responding to the scene found that the helicopter had come to rest at the front of a home on Shearwater Pl. There were a total of five people involved in the collision, four adults in the helicopter and an adult bystander.

According to the Newport Beach Police Department, three of the individuals succumbed to their injuries at the scene. Two other people were injured; one was transported to a local hospital and the other was transported to a local trauma center for medical aid.

At least two structures were impacted by the crash but no one inside the homes was injured as a result of the crash, said the release.

More than 40 firefighters responded from the Newport Beach Fire Department, Costa Mesa Fire Department and Orange County Fire Authority. Volunteers from TIP (Trauma Intervention Program) were on-hand to assist anyone impacted by the accident.

Revolution Aviation was founded in 1960. The company is based in Orange County and uses John Wayne Airport for its daily flight operations.

Eric Spitzer, a ten-year resident of Canyon Lake, has owned Spitzer Helicopter Leasing for 15 years. Eric is served as a member of the Canyon Lake POA Board of Directors from from 2013 to 2017.




Weather

CANYON LAKE WEATHER

Facebook