Los Angeles CA
2-20-2022 7:09pm

Officer Nicholas Vella Of Huntington Beach PD, Killed In A Helicopter Crash

NEWPORT BEACH-Officer Nicholas Vella, 44, died helicopter crash, and another officer was critically injured on Saturday, February 19, at approximately 6:30 p.m.

According to police reports, the helicopter crashed while the officers were responding to a disturbance report in the vicinity of Newport Beach.

Officer Vella, was a 14-year veteran of the Huntington Beach Police Department. The second officer, who was injured wasn't immediately identified, is a 16-year veteran with the police department, was transported to a nearby hospital, but, was been released on February 20.

The pilot reported that they were experiencing mechanical problems. Elliott Simpson, from the National Transportation Safety Board, said "So a few seconds later, he transmitted that they were going down."

 It's unclear who was piloting the airplane at the time the plane crashed. One of the pilots was acting "as a pilot in command, and the other acting as a tactical flight officer," Simpson said.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department Major Accident Reconstruction Team and the NTSB are investigating the crash landing.

Officer Vella leaves behind a wife and a teenage daughter.

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