Arizona plane crash news:A medical transport plane crashed and caught fire on Tuesday on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, killing four people, the tribe said in a statement. The crash involving the CSI Aviation company out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, occurred near the airport in Chinle, about 321 kilometres northeast of Flagstaff. Those on board were medical personnel who were on their way to a hospital to pick up a patient.
The Beechcraft 300 crashed in the early afternoon while landing at the airport, Federal Aviation Administration officials said in an email. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating. The tribe said the cause of the crash is unknown. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a social media post that he was heartbroken to learn of the crash. “These were people who dedicated their lives to saving others, and their loss is felt deeply across the Navajo Nation,” he said.
Investigation on
Tribal authorities began receiving reports at 12:44 pm of black smoke at the airport, Sandoval said. The cause of the crash wasn’t known, the tribe said. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating. CSI Aviation officials “with great sadness” confirmed the deaths in an emailed statement and extended condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the people killed. Their names haven’t been released.
“Heartbroken”
The company is cooperating with the investigation, according to the statement. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a social media post that he was heartbroken to learn of the crash. “These were people who dedicated their lives to saving others, and their loss is felt deeply across the Navajo Nation,” he said.
Medical transports by air from the Navajo Nation are common because most hospitals are small and do not offer advanced or trauma care. The Chinle airport is one of a handful of airports that the tribe owns and operates on the vast 27,000 square-mile (70,000 square-kilometer) reservation that stretches into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah — the largest land base of any Native American tribe.
Many people are concerned about aviation safety after all the aircraft collisions and near-misses.
ALSO READ: Washington Plane Crash: How Faulty Altimeter Data Caused US Army Helicopter-Jet Collision That Killed 67
Disasters have ranged from the midair collision that killed 67 people near Washington, DC, in January to an airliner clipping another in February while taxiing at the Seattle airport. In March, an American Airlines plane caught fire after landing in Denver, sending 12 people to the hospital. A sightseeing helicopter broke apart and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey last month, killing six people.
(With inputs from agency)