Published Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 | 5:25 p.m.
Updated Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 | 7:43 p.m.
A Metro Police helicopter on a routine training exercise made a "hard landing" at the North Las Vegas Airport on Monday, sending its two occupants to the hospital, officials said.
A MD500 helicopter was attempting to land about 4 p.m. when it made a "hard landing" near Citizen Avenue and Simmons Street, just east of the airport, said Metro Police spokesman Jose Hernandez.
KLAS Channel 8 caught footage of the helicopter on its side with its rotors damaged.
Two occupants – a pilot and a second officer – were transported to University Medical Center to be observed, Metro Police spokesman Marcus Martin said. They suffered no injuries, he said.
The North Las Vegas Airport remained open and operational throughout the incident, said McCarran International Airport spokesman Chris Jones. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the helicopter landing, he said.
A preliminary report on the cause of the helicopter accident may be released within a week or two, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said. However, it usually takes NTSB officials months to come up with a probable cause for accidents, he added.
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