Karen came into the kitchen today while we all were eating breakfast to tell us that Bill and Bear wouldn't be in camp because of a helicopter crash that had happened in Two Harbors, which is about a mile from where we live. Bill and Bear take care of Cherry Cove, doing maintenance and stuff like that, but are also members of the First Responder Search and Rescue Team. Bill's first information was 3 dead, 1 they weren't sure about. Apparently, the Associated Press is reporting that there are 3 dead and 3 injured.
The Associated Press reports that there was a pop and a fireball trailing behind the helicopter over Isthmus Harbor at about 9:25 AM and it landed about a half mile away on the isthmus, behind the yacht club, about 90 yards from Catalina Harbor. Unfortunately, being all too familiar with the area, I know that the winds in the area shift so quickly, thanks to the isthmus fan that blows across Two Harbors. Even if the pilot was trying to save the landing, it would be nearly impossible because of the unpredictability of the winds. Granted it was cloudy and drizzly as well this morning, so that certainly didn't help any.
Though, still sad, I am thankful that no one we know was on the flight. It was a tour helicopter not a charter helicopter - though the press didn't report that, the flight left Long Beach at 8:30 AM and crashed at around 9:25 AM. All the commuter or chartered flights are only about 15 to 20 minutes long. The town of Two Harbors has only about 80 residents and since we spend the majority of our time there, we know nearly everyone and we do know that no locals were involved. This, of course, doesn't make the situation any better, but it eases our minds a little to know that none of our friends were hurt.
It's wild though...some of us here at camp were talking about it. Kyle and Craig were hiking their children right past that very spot at that time yesterday. Eva's cousin was supposed to come in tomorrow on a helicopter operated by the same company. All of the flights are now cancelled until further notice. Ferries are still coming in. My roommate went into town to drop her boyfriend off at the ferry terminal and the ferries filled with media are now coming in. We can hear helicopters all over the place flying overhead. Media, also, I suspect.
It's been a crazy day here on Catalina Island!
The article is here: http://www.knbc.com/news/16384462/detail.html
A good friend of ours, Paul, is the heavy guy leaning against the fire truck.
The Associated Press reports that there was a pop and a fireball trailing behind the helicopter over Isthmus Harbor at about 9:25 AM and it landed about a half mile away on the isthmus, behind the yacht club, about 90 yards from Catalina Harbor. Unfortunately, being all too familiar with the area, I know that the winds in the area shift so quickly, thanks to the isthmus fan that blows across Two Harbors. Even if the pilot was trying to save the landing, it would be nearly impossible because of the unpredictability of the winds. Granted it was cloudy and drizzly as well this morning, so that certainly didn't help any.
Though, still sad, I am thankful that no one we know was on the flight. It was a tour helicopter not a charter helicopter - though the press didn't report that, the flight left Long Beach at 8:30 AM and crashed at around 9:25 AM. All the commuter or chartered flights are only about 15 to 20 minutes long. The town of Two Harbors has only about 80 residents and since we spend the majority of our time there, we know nearly everyone and we do know that no locals were involved. This, of course, doesn't make the situation any better, but it eases our minds a little to know that none of our friends were hurt.
It's wild though...some of us here at camp were talking about it. Kyle and Craig were hiking their children right past that very spot at that time yesterday. Eva's cousin was supposed to come in tomorrow on a helicopter operated by the same company. All of the flights are now cancelled until further notice. Ferries are still coming in. My roommate went into town to drop her boyfriend off at the ferry terminal and the ferries filled with media are now coming in. We can hear helicopters all over the place flying overhead. Media, also, I suspect.
It's been a crazy day here on Catalina Island!
The article is here: http://www.knbc.com/news/16384462/detail.html
A good friend of ours, Paul, is the heavy guy leaning against the fire truck.
1 comment:
I heard about this crash on the news . . . so sad. I used to SCUBA dive off Avalon frequently. Catalina is gorgeous.
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