CAMANO ISLAND — Three people walked away from a helicopter crash Tuesday morning with minor injuries, Island County sheriff’s deputies said.
Investigators do not yet know what caused the 11 a.m. crash, Island County Undersheriff Kelly Mauck said.
Several people saw the Fairchild FH1100 chopper “go down fast,” Mauck said. There were reports of a loud boom and a large plume of smoke rising from the crash.
The people onboard were able to escape without serious injuries, he said.
The helicopter apparently was landing at the Camano Island Airfield on Moore Road. It is unclear how high the helicopter was before it came down in a ball of flame.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Traffic Safety Board are investigating, Mauck said.
Darrington: Overdue hiker turns up safe
A search-and-rescue effort was called off Tuesday after a Seattle man who was believed lost in the wilderness called police to say he was OK, officials said.
The man decided to spend an extra day hiking. His friends thought he was supposed to return Monday and believed the man was in danger.
The man, 50, was last seen Sunday morning before attempting to summit Mount Bullon, a nearly 6,000-foot peak in the north Cascades.
The man was hiking with a friend southwest of Darrington on Sunday. The man decided to attempt to climb Bullon, but the friend didn’t join him on the climb, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
The friend expected to hear from the man Monday upon his return. The friend called sheriff’s deputies when he didn’t hear from the man.
Deputies found the man’s car at the trailhead and left a note on the window, Hover said.
Sheriff’s office search-and-rescue crews were preparing to look for the man. Rescuers were to be flown by helicopter into the remote area, Hover said.
The man walked out, found the note and called deputies to report he was safe, she said.
Mount Bullon is south of Whitehorse Mountain and north of Three Fingers. The remote peak is known for being rocky and rough.
Edmonds: Woman died of natural causes
The body of a woman found Friday morning along Highway 99 has been identified, police said.
Jane Adelaide Hunt, 77, of California, died of natural causes, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner ruled. She likely died of cardiovascular disease.
Hunt, who had no local address, likely was dead for some time, Edmonds police Sgt. Don Anderson said.
Someone called police just before noon Friday to report the body lying next to a building in the 21700 block of Highway 99, between a building and some railroad ties, he said.
Relatives were advised of the woman’s death, Anderson said.
From Herald staff reports
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