Copter Filming Ad Crashes; 1 Killed, 2 Hurt

LANCASTER — A military-type helicopter being used to make a TV commercial crashed Tuesday in the Mojave Desert, killing the co-pilot and slightly injuring two other men.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, authorities said. The co-pilot was identified as Mike Tamburro, believed to be in his 30s.

The pilot, Allen Puriin, and an unidentified crew member who had been standing on the ground were taken to Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, said Pat Kingsley, a spokeswoman for Propaganda Film of Hollywood, the company that was shooting the commercial.

Puriin and the crew member were also believed to be in their 30s, said Inspector Greg Cleveland, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Their AH-1 Apache, owned by West Coast Helicopters, crashed about 4:30 p.m. on 150th Street East about half a mile south of Avenue K on the desert outskirts of Lancaster, Cleveland said. Authorities said it had taken off 15 minutes earlier from Van Nuys Airport, where West Coast is based.

A West Coast spokesman declined to comment.

The crew was shooting a commercial for the Black & Decker tool company, according to Kingsley.

“We don’t know how it happened or under what circumstances,” said Tracy Mosh, another spokeswoman for the film company, which makes commercials and music videos.

The aircraft operators were experienced pilots who had worked recently on the movie “The Rock,” Kingsley said.

Witnesses said there were two film companies working near one another in a part of the desert that includes scattered hills with rock outcroppings. In addition to the Propaganda group, there was a crew from the film company FM Rocks shooting a rap video starring an all-woman group called 5 Footazs, according to Michael Bobenko, vice president of operations for the Entertainment Industry Development Corp.

Witnesses at the FM Rocks set said the helicopter’s blades appeared to have struck the rock ledges.

“We saw it coming down,” said one of the rappers who goes by the name of Kndhi.

Shawn Barton, a wardrobe stylist on the rap video crew who approached the wreckage, said: “It was horrible. It’s just really unfortunate.”

The helicopter wreck revived memories of the “Twilight Zone: The Movie” accident in July 1982 near Valencia.

In that incident, actor Vic Morrow and two children whom he was carrying--Renee Chin, 7, and Myca Dinh Le, 6--were crushed by a helicopter while filming a scene about the Vietnam War.

John Landis, the director of that movie, was later brought to trial on murder charges but was acquitted by a jury.

Cardenas is a Times staff writer and Moeser is a correspondent. Correspondent John Gonzales contributed to this story.