Police helicopter crashes in NW Atlanta - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Federal officials began their investigation Sunday into the Saturday night helicopter crash that killed two Atlanta Police officers on the city's northwest side.

The officers, whose names have still not been released by police, died when the helicopter, which they were using to search for a missing 9-year-old boy who was later found safe, crashed into power lines near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. and Hamilton E. Holmes drives near I-20 around 10:30 p.m.

Police spokesman Carlos Campos said, "We don't know what caused it," adding that the helicopter "… appeared to hit the utility wire on the way down."

Utility crews were out repairing lines afterwards.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating Sunday, police Chief George Turner said.

Ravien Walker, who said she witnessed the accident, told Channel 2 Action News , "I noticed something falling out of the sky. It hit the power line and it hit the ground. I jumped out of my car and ran because I was really close to it. It could have fell right down on top of my car."

No one on the ground was hurt in the crash.

Another witness, Darryl James, said, "For that time of night, there was nobody on the street for some odd reason. The helicopter hit in the middle of the street with no traffic."

James told the Associated Press, "The tail end went down and then there was an explosion."

Police mourned the loss.

"Anytime I get a call late at night, it's always a tragic situation," Turner said. "Losing an officer is the most difficult thing a police chief can face. Losing two is an unthinkable tragedy."

More information regarding the two officers is expected to be released later Sunday.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed also expressed his sympathies to the officers' families.

"We mourn these two brave men and offer our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones," Reed said in an emailed statement. "We also pause to extend our sympathy to the men and women of the police department who place their lives in harm's way every day to keep our city safe, and who especially feel the pain of this loss."

The officers killed Saturday night were the second and third Atlanta officers killed this year in the line of duty. In January, Senior Officer Gail Thomas died was arriving at a crash scene to help a fellow officer when she was struck by a drunk driver.

— Please return for updates.