LOS ANGELES, May 23 (Reuters) - A helicopter crashed into a river bed in Southern California on Friday, killing the pilot and downing power transmission lines, fire officials said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the Robinson R22 helicopter to go down at the Santa Clara River near the town of Santa Paula, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Los Angeles, said Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash.
Federal transportation officials will investigate the cause of the crash, officials said.
The downed power transmission lines did not cause any power outages, and utility workers were working to restore the lines, Nash said. He added that only the pilot, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was aboard the helicopter. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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