Helicopter Crash Kills 4 in Canada

A helicopter plunged to the ground and burst into flames in a residential neighborhood in western Canada on Tuesday, killing the three people aboard and one person on the ground, officials said.

The aircraft flew over central Cranbrook for a few minutes before plummeting, striking and dragging a pedestrian below as it came down, witness Elmer Bautz said.

The "pedestrian walking on the street across from me," Bautz said.

The Bell 206 Jet Ranger left a trail of flames and wreckage as it skidded for several yards along a street in Cranbrook, 500 miles east of Vancouver.

Bill Yearwood, a spokesman for Canada's Transportation Safety Board, said the pilot, two passengers in the helicopter and a pedestrian were killed. He said investigators were trying to determine the cause of the crash.