Newly released details from federal investigators and an update from the family of 11-year-old Oliver Holland are shedding light on the helicopter crash in Huntington Beach last month that left five people injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the helicopter went down after a small control part in its tail came loose during landing. According to a preliminary report, the tail rotor pitch link — a connecting rod that links the helicopter’s controls to the tail rotor blades — somehow disconnected, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control.
Investigators also found that two small metal arms that attach the tail rotor blades and help change the helicopter’s direction had fractured in half. The NTSB said its investigation remains ongoing.
New video shared with KTLA shows a small piece of the helicopter’s tail flying off seconds before it crashed near the Waterfront Beach Resort along Pacific Coast Highway on Oct. 11. The crash injured five people, including Oliver, who was spending the afternoon at the beach with his family…