According to city officials, the aircraft went down around 2 p.m. local time in a beachside parking lot between Twin Dolphins Drive and Beach Boulevard.
Five people were hospitalised following a helicopter crash in Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday afternoon.
According to city officials, the aircraft went down around 2 p.m. local time in a beachside parking lot between Twin Dolphins Drive and Beach Boulevard.
Bystander footage captured the wreckage entangled in palm trees near a nearby hotel.
According to ABC News, emergency crews from the Huntington Beach Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Street. The crash occurred on October 11, 2025.
A city spokesperson confirmed that two individuals were extracted from the helicopter wreckage, while three others on the ground sustained injuries. All five victims were transported to local hospitals; their conditions remain unknown.
The helicopter was reportedly linked to the upcoming “Cars and Copters” event scheduled for Sunday, according to a city news release.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been notified and are expected to investigate.
Witness Timothy Bartlett, who was filming a TikTok video of helicopters landing at the time, said he inadvertently captured the moment of impact.
“As soon as I saw it spinning, I knew it was going to crash because it just didn’t look right, and I knew something was wrong,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett told ABC News that, based on what he observed, it appeared the helicopter’s tail rotor had detached during the incident. While the aircraft did not catch fire, he noted seeing what looked like helicopter fuel leaking from the wreckage.
A helicopter crashed on the beach in Huntington Beach, California, narrowly missing beachgoers.
Upon landing, the helicopter hit a tree. It is not known if there were any casualties. pic.twitter.com/CuoQdI3isz
— Sprinter Press News (@SprinterPress) October 12, 2025