CAMARILLO : Crash in Forest Kills Pilot, Cameraman
A Camarillo pilot and a Los Angeles cameraman were killed when their helicopter crashed in Sequoia National Forest while filming a rock music video for the singer Meat Loaf.
Henry Urgoiti, 43, of Camarillo, was piloting the helicopter when it hit a power line Tuesday in the Tulare County forest, authorities said.
Urgoiti was working on an independent project for Meat Loaf. Known by colleagues at KMEX-TV as “Capitan Enrique,†Urgoiti had been a pilot of the “Noticias 34†news helicopter, Aguila Uno, and reported for KMEX newscasts and for “Los Angeles al Dia.†KMEX-TV, Channel 34, is a Spanish-language television station.
Cameraman Mike Shea, 69, of Los Angeles, also died in the 5:29 p.m. crash Tuesday.
The Bell helicopter was destroyed by fire, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.
Although the helicopter came down near a campground, no one on the ground was injured, authorities said.
An investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board is under way, authorities said.
Meat Loaf issued a statement Wednesday calling the deaths an “unnecessary loss.†The singer and the rest of the video crew were at a staging area in the forest at the time of the accident.
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