NTSB Probes Altadena Crash Involving 2 Police Choppers

ALTADENA (CBSLA.com) — Authorities began an investigation Sunday into the cause of a collision involving two Pasadena Police Department helicopters.

Joy Benedict, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, says investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spent the day measuring and snapping photos of the Pasadena Police Department helipad in Altadena.

The collision happened about 4 p.m. Saturday.

Investigators say one chopper was on regular patrol while the second was helping with traffic control at the Rose Bowl after the UCLA-USC game.

Phlunte Riddle, a spokesperson for the Pasadena Police Department, said it was believed the rotator blades of both helicopters touched during a maneuver.

Five officers and one civilian observer were taken to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. All six were said to be recovering at home Sunday.

Both of the choppers suffered extensive damage, Benedict said.