Update Saturday, October 1st at 9:30 p.m.:
A military security team is headed to the Jefferson City Memorial Airport where a Navy Sikorsky Seahawk Helicopter made a crash landing Saturday afternoon.
The helicopter was en-route from New York to San Diego. The helicopter stopped in Jefferson City to refuel.
While taking off, the pilot lost power to the tail rotor when the aircraft was about 25 feet off the ground. The pilot was able to make an aggressive emergency landing.
The official cause of the accident is still unknown.
There were three people on board at the time. One person was transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries. The other two did not sustain significant injuries.
Navy officials said the helicopter had approximately 20 flight hours and was worth $38 million.
The incident was not related to an open house going on at the airport at the same time.
Update Saturday, October 1st at 6:30 p.m.:
One person was taken to the hospital after a helicopter crashed at Jefferson City Memorial Airport.
The Navy Seahawk was taking off around 1:45 this afternoon. It reached a height off less than 20 feet before it came down on one of the runways.
Three people were aboard. The person who was injured apparently was riding in the rear of the helicopter where most of the damage occurred. Crews on the scene said those injuries were minor to moderate. The airport was closed for a little more than 2 hours. It reopened just before 4:00 p.m. Saturday.
The helicopter had been in service for about 20 hours. Crews say it was on its way from New Jersey to San Diego and had stopped to refuel in Jefferson City.
Witnesses said the rear rotor appeared to have malfunctioned.
Original Story:
A helicopter crashed just after take-off at the Jefferson City Memorial Airport.
The crash happened just before 2:00 p.m. Saturday. The military helicopter was on a trip from New Jersey to San Diego.
There were three people on board. Crews on the scene said one person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The chopper was not one of the aircraft involved with the air show. KRCG has a crew on the scene and will have more details as they become available.
(The Associated Press contributed to this article.)
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