Stolen Helicopter Crashed At Sacramento Executive

Several helicopters were broken into and a Bell 429 was stolen and crashed at California’s Sacramento Executive Airport (KSAC) early Wednesday morning. It has been reported that an unidentified individual attempted to start three other helicopters before getting the 429 in the air. The aircraft appears to have gone down almost immediately after takeoff. According to authorities, there is no indication that anyone was injured in the crash. The helicopters were owned by Sacramento-based Capitol Helicopters.

“Sometime early this morning several helicopters operated by our company were vandalized by an individual unknown to us, and one aircraft was severely damaged,” Capitol Helicopters said in a statement to KCRA. “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.”

The incident is believed to have occurred between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. local time. The crashed helicopter sustained significant damage and several other aircraft were reportedly damaged by crash debris. The FBI is leading the investigation with the NSTB and FAA participating. As of Thursday evening, the FBI stated that they have identified a person of interest but no one has been arrested.