4 dead after medical transport plane crashes in Arizona
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Two pilots and two healthcare providers were killed when the medical transport plane they were in crashed and caught fire in Navajo Nation, Arizona, on Aug 5.
PHOTO: NAVAJO POLICE DEPT
Alexandra W. Petri and Hannah Ziegler
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NAVAJO NATION, Arizona - Four people were killed on Aug 5 when a medical transport plane they were in crashed and caught fire while landing at an airport in Navajo Nation, Arizona, the authorities said.
The plane, a Beechcraft 300, was landing at Chinle Municipal Airport to pick up a patient for a medical transfer when it crashed, said Mr Emmett Yazzie, a commander with the Navajo Nation Police Department.
There were two pilots and two healthcare providers on board, all of whom died in the crash, said Mr Robert St James, a spokesman for CSI Aviation – the company that owned the plane.
There were no patients on board, he added.
The plane missed the runway at the airport by about 275m, said Ms Chrissy Largo, a spokeswoman for the Navajo Nation Police Department.
It crashed around 12.40pm local time, the department said in a statement on social media.
The aircraft, a small dual-propeller medical transport plane, had been dispatched to provide air ambulance services to patients in eastern Arizona, Mr St James said.
It was en route to Chinle Municipal Airport, a small airport in Apache County, Arizona, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ms Largo said.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the crash, the police said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they will investigate the crash.
CSI Aviation is cooperating with investigators, Mr St James said, and the company plans to provide support services to the victims’ families. NYTIMES
