Report: No evidence police copter struck by other object

RICHMOND, Va. – A report says there’s no sign a Virginia State Police helicopter that crashed after monitoring violent clashes in Charlottesville last month was struck by another aircraft, animal or object.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report Tuesday into the Aug. 12 crash that killed two state troopers, the pilot and an observer. The report said the helicopter went into a nose-down spin prior to the crash.

The helicopter was providing a video feed of a violent white nationalist rally when it broke off to watch over Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s motorcade. It crashed on the outskirts of Charlottesville, leaving a debris field several hundred feet long.

The report does not say what likely caused the crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation is ongoing.