Fisherman rescued after leaping out of helicopter as it fell into Northern California river

Northern California authorities rescued a fisherman Tuesday who scrambled out of his helicopter as it was tumbling into a river.

The man flew his helicopter to the East Carson River in Alpine County for a fishing trip and landed safely, according to the Alpine County Sheriff’s Office.

After a day of spooling fish, the man sought to return home but the river’s banks crumbled as the helicopter whirred. He swam to shore and called authorities to report his helicopter crashed, deputies said in a social media post.

He suffered what deputies called minor injuries during the incident.

The helicopter had not yet been extracted from the river as of Wednesday and was not fully submerged. Deputies said it was not leaking fuel or other fluids into the water.

This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 6:55 PM.