Helicopter Crash Kills 3 Flying Historical Route

A helicopter crashed in foggy weather off the Oregon coast, killing two men and a woman from Southern California who were retracing the path of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

The helicopter was one of two that had been flying in tandem as part of the Flight of Discovery project, in which a team of volunteers flies the river corridors and overland routes of the Lewis and Clark expedition, group member Wendi Goldsmith said.

Visibility was about a half-mile, Coast Guard Lt. Brooks Crawford said. The bodies were recovered, but identities were being withheld until relatives were notified, he said.

About 40 of the group -- comprising scientists, historians, videographers and pilots -- were working on “the last leg of a process that has lasted four years,” Goldsmith said.