Report: Ice may have downed helicopter

A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board about the Mercy Air Med helicopter crash near Ventura indicates icing may have caused the aircraft to go down, killing three staff members on board.

The report released Wednesday, Feb. 16, does not point to a cause of the crash, but details the information that investigators will be using to determine what caused the helicopter to go down in a farm field about a mile north of Ventura shortly before 9 p.m. Jan. 2.   

The report contains statements from witnesses detailing icy weather conditions.

One person who responded to the crash as a member of the Ventura Fire Department stated that he was going to drive his truck to the crash site but couldn’t since there was a coating of ice that his wipers couldn’t remove.  He opted to get a car out of his garage to use.  While responding to the accident site with the fire department, as the fire truck he was on was waiting to cross Highway 18, the volunteer firefighter observed a Clear Lake police car, also responding to the accident, slide through the intersection. 

“They informed dispatch to advise - Read More Via e-Edition