Small Helicopter Crash Caught on Tape

BUCKLEY, WA -- A small experimental aircraft crashed at a private air show in Pierce County, Washington just before 2 p.m. Saturday, trapping one of the people on board.

Both the pilot and passenger survived and sustained no serious injuries, according to Pierce County Sheriff's investigators.

Witnesses say the two-seat gyrocopter banked to the right just before it crashed.

A home video shows the yellow aircraft hit the ground before rolling over, the rotors flying apart as they hit the ground.

"Everybody I saw there just started running towards the plane, the pilot got out safely about five seconds, but the other person in there was trapped," said Danner Breault, 9, who shot the home video.

Emergency responders eventually were able to free the woman from the crashed gyrocopter.

Both she and a male pilot went to a nearby hospital as a precaution.

The F.A.A. is sending officials to investigate the cause of the crash.

The crash happened at the South Prairie Airport, a private airstrip near Buckley, Washington.

Witnesses say the gyrocopter was part of an annual air show the field hosts on Mother's Day weekend, though Pierce County investigators say the other plane may not have been.