4 killed in medical transport plane crash in northern Arizona, authorities say
PHOENIX — Four people were killed on Aug. 5 when a medical transport plane crashed and caught on fire while landing at an airport in the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, authorities said.
The small, dual-propeller aircraft was heading to pick up a patient from a nearby hospital when it crashed at around 12:40 p.m. local time near the Chinle Municipal Airport, about 165 miles northeast of Flagstaff, according to the Navajo Police Department. Those on board were medical personnel who were "non-local," Navajo Nation Buu Nygren said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which identified the aircraft as a Beechcraft 300, said the plane crashed while landing at the airport. The Navajo Police Department's Chinle District, the tribe's emergency medical services, and fire and rescue services responded to the scene, according to police.
The crash involved CSI Aviation, an air transportation and air charter company headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, police said. The company conducted next-of-kin notifications.
"These were people who dedicated their lives to saving others, and their loss is felt deeply across the Navajo Nation," Nygren said in the statement. "We honor their service, their sacrifice, and the love they showed our communities through their work. On behalf of the Navajo Nation, I extend my deepest condolences to their families, colleagues, and all who are grieving."
The cause of the crash is unknown, police said. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Authorities have closed all access to the airport due to the ongoing investigation. Chinle Airport, located in Apache County, is owned by the Navajo Nation, according to the Navajo Nation Division of Transportation.
Latest aviation incident in the U.S.
Arizona has seen a string of fatal crashes at municipal airports in and around the Phoenix Metropolitan area, including in Scottsdale and Marana.
In February, two private jets collided at the Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, killing one person and injuring four. More than a week later, two single-engine planes collided outside the Marana Regional Airport, killing two people.
The Aug. 5 crash is also the latest aviation incident to occur in the United States this year. Though experts have maintained that aviation remains extremely safe, recent incidents have raised concerns over air safety in the United States.
NTSB investigators are still probing two deadly crashes that occurred in late January: the midair collision of an American Airlines passenger plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people; and a medical jet crash in Philadelphia that killed seven.