Essential California Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Nov. 20, and here’s what’s happening across California: TOP STORIES Before we turn to the most destructive wildfire in California history, let’s talk helicopters. Specifically, the Robinson R44. Manufactured in Torrance, it is the world’s bestselling civilian helicopter. It also has a long history of deadly crashes. Robinson R44s were involved in 42 fatal crashes in the U.S. from 2006 to 2016, more than any other civilian helicopter, according to a Times analysis of National Transportation Safety Board accident reports. That translates to 1.6 deadly accidents per 100,000 hours flown — a rate nearly 50% higher than any other of the dozen most common civilian models whose flight hours are tracked by the Federal Aviation Administration. Family-owned Robinson Helicopter Co. disputed The Times’ analysis, contending that the FAA undercounts the flight hours for the R44, leading to an inflated accident rate. The company vigorously defended its record, maintaining that its aircraft are safe and reliable when flown within their operating limits. Data Editor Ben Welsh worked on the story with Kim Christensen and explains how it came together: “My colleague Kim Christensen is your classic investigative reporter. He’s skeptical, tenacious and when he knows he has a story, nothing holds him back from getting it — some of the qualities glamorized by the recently departed screenwriter William Goldman in the movie ‘All the President’s Men.’ “Kim is also a dedicated reader of what used to be called ‘the briefs,’ short news items buried in the back of the paper. Last year, he noticed something hidden in one of those stories: the crash of a helicopter manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Co. Kim’s perceptiveness, combined with a willingness to wander away from today’s big news in search of tomorrow’s, is essential to doing original work, and what got this story started. “Soon enough, Kim realized he needed more than anecdotes to answer his questions about Robinson’s safety record. That’s where data can make the difference, and where he knew he needed some help. Kim welcomed me into his work, and over the coming months we read hundreds of documents, mastered the government’s accident database and gradually put together the piece. This involved developing a computer program, which we published alongside the story, that calculates helicopter accident rates. “Not every investigation involves late-night meetings in the parking lot with ‘Deep Throat.’ In fact, few do. The best journalists, like Kim, are less like the swashbuckling swordsmen in another Goldman film, ‘The Princess Bride,’ and more like the diligent, collegial and caring cast of 2015’s Oscar winner ‘Spotlight.’ Though even Kim dresses better than those poor slobs.”