The helicopter that wildly spun out of control and crashed at a California beach, wounding five, was owned by a daredevil pilot known for performing death-defying stunts. Aviation enthusiast Eric Nixon regularly shares videos of his dramatic aviation tricks while piloting his Bell 22SP chopper on his Instagram.

Five people have been injured after a helicopter crashed near a beach in California with beachgoers sunbathing just metres away from the crash scene.