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Man crashes helicopter after trying to steal it from Sacramento airport, flees before arrest

The crashed chopper was reportedly a Bell 407 heavy-lift helicopter that can be employed for multiple uses, including firefighting

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: In a bizarre incident, a thief broke into the Sacramento Executive Airport and attempted to flee with one of the helicopters before crashing it. Soon after the incident was reported, police said that someone managed to sneak inside the airport between 4 am and 6 am and tried to start at least four helicopters before sitting on the tarmac. The unidentified thief was finally able to turn on one of the flying machines, he soon crashed it.

The culprit was able to flee the scene and the authorities were not aware of any injuries at the time of filing this report. KCRA tweeted about the incident while posting the picture of the crashed helicopter, captioning, “Chopper down at Sac Executive Airport. @SacPolice says someone tried to steal the helicopter but crashed it. Chopper culprit on the loose as FBI, FAA investigate. The tail boom was cracked and the rotors were smashed. The debris field appeared to span hundreds of yards on the tarmac.” The chopper was a Bell 407 heavy-lift helicopter that can be employed for multiple uses, including firefighting and belongs to Capitol Helicopters.

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'No security cameras'

An official statement will soon be released by the airport authorities once there is a bit of clarity after the initial investigation, said a spokesperson. It is reported that the pilots at the airports have been pleading for upgrading security at the airport lately, claiming that the fences are too low and the compound lacks surveillance cameras.

This is a developing story. MEAWW will keep you updated.