A medical helicopter pilot and a flight instructor were killed in a crash on a training flight in western New York on Tuesday, according to state police and a transportation company.
The Mercy Flight helicopter crashed at about 1pm near the town of Elba in Genesee County, about halfway between Buffalo and Rochester, Major Eugene Stanishevsky told a news conference.
There were no patients on board, authorities said. Mercy Flight said the cause of the accident has not been determined and that the crash happened during Bell Helicopter’s annual training.
Buffalo-based Mercy Flight has identified the pilot as James Sauer, a retired New York City police pilot. The flight instructor, who worked for the helicopter maker, has been identified by state police as Stuart Dietrick of Texas.
A photo from The Daily News website in nearby Batavia shows smoke rising from the remains in the field.
Stanishevski of the state police said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transport Safety Council would investigate the cause of the accident. Time does not seem to be a factor.
Damaged power lines could be seen near the wreckage, but are not believed to have contributed, Stanishevski said.
The helicopter crashed at about 1 pm near the town of Elba in the district of Genesee.WGRZ
“I don’t believe the lines caused the crash, but the plane may have hit the lines on the way down,” he said.
Mercy Flight transports patients to local hospitals in a Bell 429 helicopter, according to the company’s non-profit website. The twin-engine plane was landed at Genesee County Airport, which is just under 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the crash site.
The company called it an “indescribable tragedy.”
“This is a very dark day for the Mercy Flight family, and we are so grateful for the expressions of love, concern and support expressed by many,” said company president Margaret Ferentino.
Mercy Flight said it was temporarily suspending operations to allow their employees to mourn and ensure other helicopters could be operated safely. The company said all requests it received in the meantime would be directed to other local resources.
With postal wires
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