Weather conditions were bad and the fog that rested over the area created poor visibility. According to the LA Times, the helicopter lifted local time at 09.06 but had problems with accessibility and was forced to take a detour. After 40 minutes of flight, the helicopter crashed in a mountainous area in the city of Calabasas, west of Los Angeles.
The police had chosen to keep their helicopters on the ground during Sunday due to the weather.
A witness named Jerry Kocharian saw the sequence of events.
- It didn't sound like it would and they flew very low. I saw the helicopter fall. But it was difficult to see more of what happened because of the fog, he says, adding:
- Then it was a big fire cloud. No one can survive that.