Helicopter crash in the Sierra kills pilot, 3 Fish and Game biologists

The state Fish and Game biologists were surveying deer when the Bell 206 copter clipped a large electrical transmission line and plummeted to the ground, the Madera County Sheriff's Department said.

Debris scattered across a quarter-mile in an area called North Fork near Redinger Lake, authorities said. The crash sparked a small fire.

The incident, which occurred about noon, was witnessed by two U.S. Forest Service officers who were roughly 100 yards away, said Erica Stuart, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Department.

In a statement, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called the crash a "devastating tragedy."

"We send our thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the victims," he said. "Our hearts are with them during this difficult time," Schwarzenegger wrote.

The Fish and Game Department identified the three biologists as Clu Cotter, 48, of Fresno; Kevin O'Connor, 40, of Bakersfield; and Tom Stolberg, 32, of Fresno.

The pilot was identified by the agency as Dennis "Mike" Donovan.