A medical helicopter crashed in a Tucson neighborhood just north of the UA campus Wednesday, killing three.
The LifeNet Medical helicopter, located on North Park Avenue just south of East Glenn Street, crashed into the sidewalk of a man’s home and burst into flames, according to Tucson Fire Department official Trish Tracy.
TFD received multiple calls about the crash around 1:43 p.m., Tracy said.
Gas lines were turned off at one man’s home as a precaution, she added.
There were no people on the ground injured and all three people inside the helicopter — a flight nurse, paramedic and a pilot — died in the crash. One person was pronounced dead at the scene.
“”This is a sad day for all of us at Air Methods and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of our employees who perished while on duty,”” Aaron Todd, chief executive officer of Air Methods Corporation, said in an press release by the air ambulance company.
Two of the passengers died after they were transported from the crash, the Daily Star reported.
The names of the three people on board the Eurocopter AS350 helicopter based in Douglas, Ariz., would not be released until their families were notified, Tracy said.
Tucson Police blocked off multiple sections of roads from Glenn Street south to Grant Road and from First Avenue eastward to Campbell Avenue.
Tracy said the wreckage from the crash will not be cleaned up Wednesday evening so that the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, can investigate.