A new report has determined that a deadly 2011 Marine helicopter crash at Camp Pendleton was caused by a bird strike. That bird, specifically, was a female red-tailed hawk. more ›

Clark Gable's grandson will carry on the family legacy by spending ten days in jail for pointing a laser at an LAPD helicopter. City News Service reports that Gable was sentenced today to three years of probation in addition to his time behind bars by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Horwitz. more ›

Students at Pierce College got to watch a helicopter do an emergency landing today (educational!) as an LAPD chopper touched down on their football field. The Daily News reports that it's not yet clear why the aircraft had to land, but that it may have been because of a warning light indicating a mechanical problem. more ›

Aspiring actor Clark Gable III, named after his grandfather and silver screen legend, has entered a plea of guilty on charges he deliberately pointed a laser beam at a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter last summer. more ›

Conductors and performers curse the skies, glower and sometimes even halt the performance when helicopters pass over the Hollywood Bowl. Now they're throwing their support behind a federal bill that would restrict low-flying helicopters. more ›

The Orange County Sheriff's Department is looking into whether one of its employees took his girlfriend on a joyride in the department's helicopters. The internal investigation was sparked by angry anonymous letter complaining that the sheriff's department shouldn't be letting its employees take a joyride at taxpayers' expense. more ›

Three Los Angeles-area Congressional representatives were in Washington D.C. Thursday to testify before a House panel about a proposed bill that would put federal restrictions on low-flying helicopters. more ›

It was a twofer last night for a 27-year-old (i.e. grown up) woman was arrested for pointing a laser beam not only at a commercial jet landing at Los Angeles International Airport, but also at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's chopper called out to investigate the report of the former. more ›

Two Marine pilots died in a helicopter crash today at Camp Pendleton during a training flight. Their AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter crashed around 1pm in a training area at the base. Firefighters and rescue crews responded to the scene. more ›

West Hollywood has formally gone on record in support of a pending federal bill that could force regulation of helicopters flying over residential areas in Los Angeles. The West Hollywood City Council adopted a resolution in support of HR 2677, the Los Angeles Residential Noise Relief Act of 2011. more ›

ust because your grandfather played Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind doesn't mean you are above the law, including when it comes to laser pointers being shone at law enforcement aircraft. Clark Gable III, an aspiring actor, was arrested last night for "allegedly pointing a laser at an LAPD helicopter," reports TMZ. more ›

A 46-year-old man weighing in at over 300 pounds fell or dove into the San Gabriel River in the Angeles National Forest yesterday. He was reportedly drinking alcohol with friends, according to The Daily Breeze. more ›

There are some conversations that most of us can't imagine having. Here is one of them. "Hey, you know what would be so funny? Pointing a laser at an LAPD helicopter. Wouldn't that be so funny, you guys? I'm DOING it... more ›

Still don't have plans for Carmageddon? Wondering whether to hightail it out of town or cloister yourself in your apartment with stores of canned goods, water bottles, and your own all-encompassing terror? Well, a local helicopter company would like to propose a third option: face your fears head-on. more ›

Law enforcement officials aren't kidding around when it comes to laser pointers aimed at their aircraft: If you point 'em, they will find you, and, like in the case of the two men busted overnight, they will arrest you. Green lasers were trained on a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter flying over Exposition Park at around 2 this morning, according to ABC7. more ›

Step 1) Get a laser pointer. Step 2) Point it at an aircraft. Voila! In addition to last month's North Hollywood laser showdown four more people around the southland have been arrested on suspicion of pointing lasers at L.A. County sheriff's helicopters, "imperiling the aircraft and their crews," in similar incidents, said the Sheriff's Department on Sunday. more ›

The pilot of the Los Angeles Police Department helicopter hit with gunfire Sunday in Van Nuys knew jet fuel was pouring out from the bullet hole because he could smell it and see it on the windshield of the craft, reports the L.A. Times. more ›

At least one arrest has been made after a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter was hit by gunfire near Saticoy Street and Densmore in the San Fernando Valley around 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning, reports LA Now. more ›

A helicopter burst into flames after crashing into office and laboratory building at Raytheon aerospace development complex on the 2000 block of E. El Segundo Boulevard shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, reports Reuters. Eyewitness reported that the Sikorsky S-58ET helicopter "erupted into a ball of flames when it crashed," reports KTLA. more ›

Two men in their early 20s were rescued by helicopter from the edge of a cliff in the Angeles National Forest in Altadena yesterday evening. Having set off for a day hike, the two young men from Temple City were not carrying supplies for spending more than a couple of hours on the trail, explains the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. more ›

19-year-old Nathan Ramon Wells is learning the very hard way that aiming a laser pointer at the wrong target at the wrong time has some serious consequences. The Cathedral City man was sentenced yesterday to serve 15 months in a federal prison, along with three years on supervised release. more ›

If you see multiple helicopters flying low in the skies over Los Angeles today, don't panic. The LAFD has sent out an e-mail notice to explain: "A large contingent of military and public safety helicopters will be seen flying over Los Angeles today. More than three dozen aircraft, at times flying in low altitude formation, will be gathering for today`s American Heroes Air Show at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in the northeast San Fernando Valley. We wish to emphasize: There is no local emergency associated with these aircraft, and no cause for alarm." If you want to check out the event, it's from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; admission is free. more ›

A maintenance check flight yesterday afternoon ended up in near disaster for those on board the L.A. County Sheriff’s Air-5 Sikorsky. At about 12:40 when testing the helicopter over the Pacific Ocean, one of the two engines failed, prompting pilots to head back to Long Beach airport, according to Captain Mike Parker. But after detecting a significant loss of engine oil, preparations for an emergency landing were made. more ›

Every year the LAPD attends the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) Conference, which happens to be in Arizona this year. As such, the helicopter-heavy department had to go through some hoops this time around because the L.A. City Council voted to approve a boycott of the state, which included official travel, over its recent immigration law. more ›

When the L.A. City Council boycotted Arizona a month ago -- a move to protest the state's immigration law -- a provision in it banned official travel to there unless not going would do more harm than going. Tomorrow, the Council will consider what appears to be the first request to gain authorization for travel to Arizona. more ›

A Grand Canyon-bound tour helicopter from Las Vegas made an emergency landing at Lake Mead yesterday after a large bird crashing into the windshield. The pilot suffered a face laceration, but there no injuries to the six tourists from London aboard. The Cormorant bird strike happened around 5:40 p.m. as the helicopter was over the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. more ›

Without a doubt, there will probably be more military fly overs today than this, but since we know the one in Santa Monica, here's your warning. Two Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters will fly over Santa Monica's Woodlawn Cemetery at 11:45 a.m. this morning. Then a C-17 Globemaster III will fly over Venice and Santa Monica beaches around 1 p.m. This is for an annual event at the cemetery. more ›

Every so often, we get e-mails in the middle of the night asking why an LAPD helicopter is circling above and shining a light down on their street. If you've lived here long enough, we all know this is a common experience. After all, the LAPD, who boasts that they have the "largest municipal airborne law enforcement operation in the world," has 17 helicopters and one twin engine plane (unconfirmed, but we heard they may actually have just bought a new helicopter, making that 18). more ›

If you were wondering why streets are shut down and a helicopter is circling above near The Grove, it was a bank robbery at a Washington Mutual, according to Officer Lee at the LAPD. The suspect fled prompting a dragnet in the area. An LAist tipster said Ogden Drive was closed down between Beverly Blvd. and Oakwood Ave. more ›

Without the aggressive overnight attack of the Sepulveda Pass Fire on Thursday morning, Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood may have burnt to the ground. Albeit dangerous, helicopter water drops played a huge role in knocking down the flames: "In daytime, this is dangerous enough. At night, a mountainside might look like open sky, power lines might vanish in the black, an approaching aircraft's lights might blend with the streetlights in the background. The dark can play tricks on the eyes... Fire pilots generally follow a 50/50 rule -- drop the water at 50 knots and at 50 feet above the flames. Too slow or low, the water doesn't smother enough fire. Higher and faster, it dissipates too much." The LAFD even has a t-shirt about night flying. It says "We Own The Night" and has an illustration of a helicopter over a fire. more ›