STAGECOACH, Nev. – A medical transport flight carrying five people, including a patient, crashed in a mountainous area in northern Nevada on Friday night, resulting in the deaths of all those on board.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s office received calls about the crash near Stagecoach, Nevada, at approximately 9:15 p.m. and discovered the wreckage two hours later. The deceased individuals included the pilot, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, a patient, and a patient’s family member, according to Care Flight, the provider of ambulance service by plane and helicopter.
Barry Duplantis, the president and CEO of the company, stated that all the victims’ relatives had been informed of their deaths on Saturday afternoon. “We send our deepest condolences to their families,” Duplantis said, as reported by the Reno Gazette Journal.
The crash happened amidst a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service in Reno for several parts of Nevada, including portions of Lyon County. The weather agency anticipated heavy snow, wind gusts of up to 65 mph, and whiteout conditions from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Sunday.
Lyon County Sgt. Nathan Cooper stated that the mountainous region where the crash occurred, coupled with the current weather conditions, was challenging to navigate. “Especially with the weather being the way it is right now, it’s not very good,” Cooper said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Saturday morning via Twitter that a team of seven investigators would be dispatched to the crash site. The NTSB is expected to provide more information on Sunday at a news conference. The aircraft, which was built in 2002, was identified by Care Flight as a Pilatus PC-12 airplane. The company has suspended flights to aid responding agencies, team members, and the affected families.
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