Both occupants of a helicopter were killed when they collided in mid-air with a small plane near Chandler Municipal Airport in Arizona. The airplane managed to land safely, but the chopper was sent to the ground in flames.
The mid-air collision took place on Friday morning near the airport, which is situated in a suburb of the state capital of Phoenix. Chandler Fire Battalion Chief Keith Welch confirmed that two people aboard the helicopter were killed, while the passengers of the plane, a light propeller-driven aircraft, did not require medical attention. Nobody on the ground was hurt.
The circumstances of the crash are unclear, and Chandler police have put out a call for witnesses and video footage of the incident.
Images shared by local reporters in the immediate aftermath show the plane at a standstill just off a runway, apparently fully intact.
BREAKING:Mid air collision between a helicopter and a fixed wing plane near McQueen and Queen Creek. We’re told the plane was able to land safely but the helicopter crashed and caught fire pic.twitter.com/17cwv9XDwi
This is the plane that collided with a chopper at chandler airport. It appears everyone on board the plane is ok. Details on @azfamilypic.twitter.com/OqyeOgW3O9
Separate footage shows the remains of the helicopter on what appears to be a patch of waste ground, partially covered with a tarpaulin by emergency workers.
Tragic scene at chandler airport after a helicopter and plane collide mid-air. This is the downed chopper. Details on @azfamilypic.twitter.com/Aa7PyjrCSG
The tragic crash came three months after a smaller plane accident at Chandler Municipal Airport. Back in July, a single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza B36 with four people on board crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff, sending one occupant to the hospital and injuring the three others.
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