EMS Helicopter forced down on golf course

THOUSAND PALMS — Engine trouble forced a helicopter transporting a patient to make an emergency landing Friday on a golf course in Thousand Palms.

The Native Air Ambulance was en route to the Palm Springs area around 2:50 p.m. when the crew reported a malfunctioning engine, according to Riverside County fire Capt. Fernando Herrera.

“There was some sort of situation, and the pilot had to make an emergency landing,” he said.

The crew set the chopper down near the ninth hole of the Tri-Palms Estates Country Club, near Boca Chica Terrace and Elizabeth Drive.

“He landed perfectly. There were no problems,” the fire captain said.

The patient, who had been picked up somewhere near the Arizona state line, was then taken by ground ambulance to a hospital, according to Herrera.

The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating.