(AP) LOS ANGELES - A National Transportation Safety Board reports says a firefighting helicopter that crashed earlier this month hit a water tank before it went down in a remote area of Northern California.

The preliminary report released Friday says witnesses saw the Sikorsky S-61 helicopter hit the storage tank that it was using to refill water on July 17.

Both pilots were able to walk away from the crash near the community of Forks of Salmon, but one suffered serious injuries. The co-pilot declined medical treatment after being examined.

At the time of the crash, the helicopter was refilling its water tanks between runs over a wildfire burning on the edge on the Klamath National Forest.

The NTSB says a final report was pending.
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Information from: Record Searchlight, http://redding.com

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