Three men working on a reality TV show were killed in a helicopter crash early on Sunday in Acton, California, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer told TheWrap.
All three occupants of the helicopter were pronounced dead at the scene, he reported.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's office identified the pilot as 59-year-old David Gibbs of Valencia and one of the passengers at Darren Rydstrom, 45, of Whittier. The identity of the second passenger, believed to be from out of state, was being withheld pending notification of the family.
The crash occurred around 3:40 a.m. on a ranch with two airstrips that is often used as a location for movies, TV shows and commercials.
It was not immediately known what reality television show was being filmed. The location, called the Polsa Rosa Ranch, is a 730-acre ranch used for location filming deserts, jungles, forests, mesas, running rivers, dry wash settings and the like.
The aircraft, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopter, was substantially damaged, Kenitzer said.
The Los Angeles Film Commission told local media outlets that a company called Bongo Productions had a permit to shoot in the area, and a reality show was being filmed.
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
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