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Georgia police helicopter crashes into river; no sign of survivors

By Allen Cone

Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A multi-agency Georgia narcotics task force helicopter crashed into water in Alabama with no sign of live and possibly only the pilot aboard, authrities said.

The Bell OH-58 helicopter for the task force, which includes three counties and two cites in the Columbus area, hit a power line and then crashed into the Cargile Creek around 1:15 p.m. Friday in Chilton County in the central Alabama, AL.com reported.

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The helicopter was heading for routine maintenance from Columbus to Clanton, Ala., near where it crashed about 50 miles north of Montgomery and 50 miles south of Birmingham.

The number of people on board is unknown, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said the pilot was a Columbus officer who worked part time for the department after retiring.

"It doesn't look good. At this point, we haven't found him, and we haven't been able to contact him, so we believe that he is still in the water at this point and we're doing our best to bring him home," Taylor told WSFA-TV.

He said possibly one more person could be aboard.

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About 6 p.m., divers had located the fuselage of the helicopter and were only able to search briefly due to visibility and depth of the lake, Trae Caton, a Chilton County Sheriff's Office spokesman, told AL.com. The copter was about approximately 70 feet below in water.

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