Font ResizeFREMONT — A flight instructor and student were killed in a helicopter crash near Interstate Highway 680 in Alameda County this morning when the aircraft hit power lines and caught fire.
The Schweizer 269 helicopter crash-landed on Sheridan Road between Fremont and Sunol at 12:32 a.m., said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor. It is unknown who was piloting the helicopter.
The aircraft was owned by a San Mateo-based company, Gregor said.
The scorched two-seat aircraft sat on the roadway several hours after the crash.
"This thing is pretty badly burnt," said Alameda County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson, who was at the crash site.
A grassfire ignited by the crash burned a few acres alongn the highway, Nelson said.
It was cloudy when the crash occurred, according to Gregor.
The slow lane of northbound Highway 680 was reopened after closing due to the crash, but Sheridan Road and the Sheridan Road offramp have remained closed.
