Helicopter Crashes Into Keystone Lake; Boaters Rescue 3 People

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed Sunday a helicopter crashed south of the Highway 64 bridge, in Keystone Lake.

It happened around 11:45 a.m.

OHP said the three occupants, two men and a woman, were rescued safely by boaters on the lake. They were then transferred to a Lake Patrol boat. They are reportedly in good condition.

Before the R44 Robinson helicopter went into the water, it was seen flying low over the lake. OHP said the helicopter rolled in the crash and then sank deep into the water.

The pilot told state troopers the chopper lost power.

Scanner traffic indicated that first responders had a hard time finding the crash site. It was a convergence of boats that led them to the exact scene of the crash.

"You could watch the propellers hit the water and stuff just splashing everywhere," witness Doug Baldwin said.

Baldwin said before his family saw the helicopter slam into water, they were out just enjoying another weekend on the lake.

"We watched it for about an hour just flying around real low," he said. "We thought the helicopter was actually looking for a place to land on the beach.... and all of a sudden, it dipped down in the water a little bit, and then came back up, and then all of sudden it just crashed."

Baldwin and his family, along with other boaters in the area, immediately rushed over to help.

When they arrived at the crash site, two men and a woman came up to the surface.

"She was really shook up, you could tell because she wasn't saying anything," Baldwin said.

Trooper Ricky Humdy said the three were OK once they were transferred into his lake patrol boat.

"We just kinda looked at each other and said, 'Man, you never see this on the lake," Baldwin said.

Authorities think the  helicopter went down about a mile south of the US 64 bridge, but they can't pinpoint the exact location. 

The investigation will be turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration, assisted by OHP, and they will make a plan to recover the aircraft from approximately 60 feet of water.