GORMAN, Calif. -- A helicopter crashed Thursday while inspecting a pipeline north of Los Angeles for earthquake damage, killing the two men on board, including Michael Scully, son of famed sportscaster Vin Scully.
Albert Greenstein, an ARCO spokesman, said the helicopter was leased by one of his company's subsidiaries, the Four Corners Pipe Line Co.
He said the craft struck a powerline and crashed in the mountainous Fort Tejon area, 50 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
'The pipeline had been shut down as a precautionary measure following the earthquake,' Greenstein said. 'We were in the process of starting it back up. The helicopter was checking to make sure there were no leaks as a result of the earthquake.'
Four Corners pipeline No. 63 is 130 miles long and carries crude oil from the fields of Kern County to the refineries in the Los Angeles Basin.
Greenstein said the name of the pilot, an employee of Kern Helicopters, Bakersfield, Calif., was being withheld until family members had been notified.
Scully, 33, Bakersfield, Calif., was an engineering supervisor for Four Corners Pipe Line. He is survived by his wife, Cathy, and a son.
Vin Scully is the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers and does golf and baseball, including the World Series, for CBS.
Coroner's officials said the deaths would probably be counted as earthquake casualties because the men were engaged in quake-related activity.
