Power Line May Have Caused Deadly Chopper Crash
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Federal investigators are probing whether a helicopter crash that killed four in the Sierra Nevada mountains may have been caused by a lack of markings on a high-voltage power line running across the river canyon.
The crash happened Tuesday afternoon after the Bell 206 helicopter clipped a Southern California Edison transmission line, sparking a blaze that consumed the craft.
Three California Department of Fish and Game scientists and a pilot were killed. The team had been conducting an aerial deer survey.
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Federal Aviation Administration guidelines recommend that companies mark and light their power lines according to national standards, so that pilots can spot potential hazards. A SoCal Edison spokesman says that line was not marked.