Police say a criminal who broke into several aircraft at Sacramento Executive Airport overnight crashed one of them. Police in Sacramento say that between 4 and 6 a.m., an intruder entered the property and attempted to start four parked helicopters on the tarmac. The individual managed to get one helicopter going, but it went down in flames shortly after takeoff.
The suspect allegedly ran away after police arrived. To their knowledge, no one was hurt. The FBI has taken command of the situation and identified a person of interest. The CCTV footage, witness statements, and physical evidence gathered together, according to Special Agent in Charge Sean Reagan.
Reagan did not want to say whether or not the helicopter was related to Sacramento Executive Airport or Capitol Helicopters. The FBI is conducting an investigation into a number of possible motivations for helicopter theft.
“If someone wanted to take an aircraft for a joyride, someone who wanted to take an aircraft to do some other criminal activity or damage to other property, terrorism would be at the other end of the scope,” Reagan said.
Mike Domalaog, a photographer for KCRA 3, spotted the chopper on its side and reported that it looked completely destroyed. The rotors were broken and the tail boom was fractured. As far as he could tell, the debris field on the asphalt extended for hundreds of yards.
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Bell 429 heavy-lift helicopter, which can be used for numerous purposes including firefighting, is what the chopper is, according to KCRA 3.
Capitol Helicopters released the following statement:
“Sometime early this morning several helicopters operated by our company were vandalized by an individual unknown to us, and one aircraft was severely damaged. All our employees are safe, and we do not believe that anyone was injured in today’s events.”
“This incident is currently under investigation by several state and federal authorities. We are hopeful that the people responsible are located quickly. We have no further information to report at this time. We appreciate the support from all the agencies and individuals involved.”
The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Aviation Administration are all looking into it. The airport reportedly informed the FBI about the crash around 7:30 a.m.nAn on-scene pilot indicated that local pilots at the airport had been pushing Sacramento County for additional security measures.
Thief crashes helicopter after trying to steal it from Sacramento Executive Airport https://t.co/IYq3nPuPfL pic.twitter.com/00iFStkXXL
— New York Post (@nypost) March 15, 2023
He said that the fences are inadequate and that there are no security monitors. There was a security guard on duty, according to an airport official, although it was unclear whether or not the guard witnessed the occurrence. No comments will be made until they see the results of the investigation.
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