Helicopter crashes near Royal City

GRANT COUNTY — A Tumwater man was injured in a helicopter crash Monday morning in a cherry orchard between George and Royal City.

Christopher Iezzoni, 31, was flying a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter over an orchard near Roads 9 and M Southwest. About 7:45 a.m., his helicopter became tangled in bird control netting over the orchard and crashed, according to a prepared statement from the sheriff’s office.

Iezzoni was able to free himself from the wreckage and was transported by ambulance to Quincy Valley Medical Center. He hurt his back and had problems breathing.

For more details on this story, read Tuesday’s Columbia Basin Herald.

—Staff report