Huntington Beach police helicopter makes emergency landing at John Wayne Airport, no injuries reported

A Huntington Beach police helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing at John Wayne Airport late Saturday night, officials said Sunday.

There were no injuries or property damage when the helicopter landed in an infield after experiencing “mechanical difficulties,” said Officer Angela Bennett, a Hungtington Beach police spokeswoman.

Deanne Thompson, a spokeswoman for John Wayne Airport, said the helicopter crew radioed ahead reporting “tail rotor trouble.”

“They knew they were having trouble,” she said. “They requested clearance and they got it.”

After the emergency landing, the helicopter was loaded on to a vehicle via crane and carted away to be inspected.

It’s not clear yet how many people were on board the helicopter at the time of the landing. Bennett said just two people were on the helicopter, a Huntington Beach police pilot and an observer. But Thompson said four people were on board. She didn’t know the identities of anyone inside the aircraft.

It also wasn’t immediately clear where the helicopter took off.