4 Killed in Explosive Crash of Air-Ambulance Plane

'There was not a lot left of the aircraft'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 19, 2016 1:36 PM CST
4 Killed in Explosive Crash of Air-Ambulance Plane
The wreckage of an American Medflight plane sits in the Barrick Gold Corp. parking lot in Elko, Nev., Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016.   (Jeffry Mullins)

An air-ambulance plane taking a heart-disease patient to a Utah hospital crashed in a parking lot in northern Nevada, killing all four people aboard and sending up explosions and flames, the AP reports. Three crew members and a patient were killed in the Friday night crash in Elko, American Medflight said Saturday in a statement. Identities were not released. The twin-engine plane crashed in a mining company's parking lot near a casino and other businesses. American Medflight president John Burruel said in a statement that the company was cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA as they investigated the crash.

"As an air medical family, we are mourning the loss of our crewmembers and patient. Their families have been notified and they are in our thoughts and prayers," Burruel said. An FAA spokesperson said nobody on the ground was hurt. "There was not a lot left of the aircraft," the Elko fire chief said after the flames were extinguished. A photograph published by the Elko Daily Free Press showed mostly burned wreckage on pavement in front of a line of vehicles, including at least one charred pickup. The plane's tail was one of the few recognizable parts. The patient's doctor said the patient suffered from coronary artery disease and was experiencing chest pains and rapid heartbeat Friday evening, after which the decision was made to transport him to Utah. (More plane crash stories.)

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