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Helicopter Crashes On Fox River; All Survive

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Jul 5, 2008 6:05 am US/Central

Helicopter Crashes On Fox River; All Survive

LASALLE COUNTY, Ill. (STNG) ― A helicopter on a sightseeing tour run by Skydive Chicago clipped a set of power lines and crashed into the Fox River Friday night near Ottawa, authorities said.

The pilot and three passengers escaped.

The crash occurred about 6:20 p.m. in Wedron, which is near Ottawa and about 80 miles southwest of Chicago in unincorporated LaSalle County.

LaSalle County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Swierkosz said the accident happened almost immediately after takeoff.

"About two minutes after taking off they went down to about 20 feet, snagged the power lines, and went into a tailspin and ditched in the river,'' Swierkosz said.

The passengers were able to swim to shore. The pilot also swam to shore after he put out a small fire with a fire extinguisher, Swierkosz said.

The group was picked up by a boater, authorities said.

One female passenger suffered a slight burn to her arm, but the others were uninjured, Swierkosz said.

No citations had been issued as of Friday night. No one answered the phone at Skydive Chicago's Ottawa office late Friday.

(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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