Community News

Helicopter crashes during Cars N' Copter Event injuring five Saturday

 

by: Jerry Person
Published: October 13, 2025

 

 

HUNTINGTON BEACH...The pilot has been identified as Eric Nixon. who is recovering in the hospital with broken ribs, a crushed vertebrae and several bruises. The young child has been named by his sister Madeline online as Oliver Holland.

Last Saturday, October 11, 2025 as hundreds of visitors came to watch the Cars N' Copters event held in the parking lot of Huntington City Beach just after 2 p.m. all eyes watched as a helicopter appeared on the horizon.

The crowd watched as it came closer to the event to land, when suddenly their joy turned to horror as a piece from the copter's tail assembly appeared to fly off and the copter began to spin out of control.

Within just seconds visitors watched as the copter came down closer and closer toward the startled crowd of people.

To the visitor's horror the copter crashed into the stairs of a pedestrian bridge that crosses Pacific Coast Highway from a row of hotels between Twin Dolphins and Beach Boulevard.

Several people rushed to aid to people inside the copter while others gave aid to the injured on the ground that were hit from flying debris.

All five, two in the copter and three visitors, were transported to a local hospital, their condition is not known at this time.

From video footage it appears that a malfunction in the tail assembly of the older Bell 222 copter caused a piece to fly off causing it to loose control.

Members from the FAA and NTSB are investigating accident. Photo:Citizen