Three Killed In Helicopter Crash While Filming Reality Show for The Discovery Channel

February 11, 2013 by Hollywoodite

Three people were killed in a Helicopter crash Sunday morning in Acton, CA.

The three men, whose names are yet to be released by authorities, were filming an untitled military-themed reality show for Discovery at the time.

According to a federal aviation official, the helicopter went down at around 3:30 a.m. local time on the 730-acre Polsa Rosa Movie Ranch in Acton that has two airstrips that are often used for production purposes. County firefighters tell City News Service the men were pronounced dead at the scene. Those killed were the only ones aboard and no one else was harmed in the crash.

According to WTVR CBS6 News, “Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmL.A., which processes filming permits for location shootings in the Los Angeles region, said a production company had been approved to use a helicopter for a reality TV show. The shoot was scheduled to go from [ 5 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday].”

Zap2It adds, “The company shooting is called Bongo Productions, but there is no word yet as to which show the company was filming at the time of the crash.”

Sokoloski said FilmLA did not have a monitor on set. However, there was an adviser from the LA County Fire Department on set.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter crashed “under unknown circumstances,”and the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are currently investigating.