Helicopter crashed in Newport Beach : 3 dead, 2 injured

A helicopter with 4 people onboard crashed into a house in a Newport Beach, California, neighborhood Tuesday, leaving at least three people dead and two others injured, the Newport Fire Department said. Fire Chief Chip Duncan confirmed the fatalities.

Police responded to the crash at about 1:50 p.m. in the 40 block of Egret Court near Shearwater Place in a gated neighborhood near the Back Bay known as Bayview Terrace, officials said.

The aircraft struck the yard and wall of the home. A piece of the tail rotor was seen lodged in the tiled roof of a home across the street.

The Robinson R44 light helicopter normally seats four people.

Residents of the home that was struck were inside the home at the time of the crash, police say none of the residents appeared to be hurt.

Tuesday’s crash was at least the third serious accident in Southern California in the past year involving an R44, according to NTSB records.