Pilot killed in Colorado crash of medical transport helicopter | World

A Flight For Life helicopter crashed Friday afternoon in Frisco, an area near Lake Dillon in western Colorado.

Lake Dillon Fire officials battle a fire after a medical helicopter crashed outside of a hospital in Frisco, Colorado, Friday.

It was trying to take off from St. Anthony’s Summit Medical Center. “We understand that shortly after departure, the helicopter started to spin, or rotate, and subsequently impacted the ground”.

Air Methods, the Centennial Airport-based company that operated the helicopter, reported the flight paramedic and flight nurse on board the aircraft were injured. The helicopter went down in an employee parking lot west of the hangar. A Silvethorne resident and longtime pilot with Flight for Life, Mahany flew with Air Methods for 28 years. Two of the passengers reportedly walked away with non-life threatening injuries, while a third was in critical condition at the hospital.

Lake Dillon Fire spokesman Steve Lipsher said: ‘The whole ship was fully engulfed in flames.

The cause of the crash was unknown, reports said.

A witness told Summit Daily that one person was able to escape the burning helicopter, while the other two had to be pulled from the aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating.