DeKalb police helicopter crashes and burns; minor injuries for 2 onboard

By Rhonda Cook and Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A DeKalb County police officer and a civilian instructor were injured Friday afternoon when the police department's helicopter crashed in Covington during a re-certification flight.

DeKalb PD spokeswoman Mekka Parish said the civilian instructor had lacerations on his leg but the police pilot had no "visible" injuries. Both were taken to Atlanta Medical Center to be examined. They were discharged around 9:15 p.m.

Parish said the pilot, who was not named, was an experienced helicopter pilot. She said the flight was an annual requirement to maintain his certification.

The damage was extensive and the helicopter will no longer be used by the department, Parish said. DeKalb PD has one other helicopter.

The aircraft crash landed at Covington Municipal Airport around 4:30 p.m. Friday, turned on its side and spun across a runway before catching fire, said Capt. Rob Christopher of the Covington Fire Department.

"They were walking around when we arrived," Christopher said. "They're being transported to Atlanta Medical Center -- via ground."

Parish said the cause of the "hard landing" was not known. She said investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration would determine what brought down the aircraft that the police agency got in 2002.