A pair of police helicopters was destroyed late in the afternoon of November 17 during an apparent helipad accident in Pasadena, Calif.

The main rotor blades of the Vietnam-era Bell OH-58s collided as one was landing and the other was preparing to take off. One helicopter rolled onto its side. All six aboard both helicopters were treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital and released.

Pasadena police chief Phillip Sanchez identified those aboard as police officer-pilots Carol Eldridge and Markus Mendenhall, lieutenants Michael Ingram and Randell Taylor, officer Ryan Smith and an unidentified civilian contractor. One helicopter had been assigned the annual USC-UCLA football game, while the other was on routine patrol.

Pasadena police have operated helicopters since 1969 and acquired the OH-58s in the early 1990s. The department also operates a Bell 206 and MD 500, and an Enstrom F28F as a trainer.