Helicopter crashes into suburban street during routine training drill
A helicopter crashed into a suburban Illinois street on Thursday night and burst into flames during a routine training session, creating a chaotic scene for onlookers.
MMB-BK 117 plummeted into the street after taking off from a fire station in Hartford, which is about half an hour from St. Louis, Missouri.
A pilot and two passengers were on board when the helicopter fell from the sky just after 9 pm, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed. All three were transported to a local hospital for their injuries.
Video footage captured by residents in the area depicts the helicopter taking off and seemingly clipping a tree before falling to the ground.
Additional video captured by witnesses show the helicopter engulfed in flames on the ground.
Before the crash, the Harford Fire Department warned residents on social media that ARCH, an air medical service based in Missouri and Illinois, would be conducting a training session in an empty lot.
'Please do not be alarmed. This is for training purposes only. If you would like to see the Helicopter up close, please DO NOT approach the Helicopter without authorization from ARCH,' the statement read.
'Helicopters can be Very Dangerous and this is one of the reasons for training,' the department added.
Video footage captured by residents in the area depicted the helicopter take off and then plummet to the ground after it seemingly clipped a tree
ARCH later announced that the Illinois crew was involved in the incident and the crash occurred after they departed from a local fire station.
'We continue to support our teammates and are working with the authorities in support of the investigation,' the statement read.
The shocking scene alarmed suburban residents in the area, who were quick to respond to the crash.
Ashley Quigley, who witnessed the event and told local Fox affiliate, KTVI, '[The helicopter] went up maybe a foot, it started hitting the trees, and stuff was flying.
'It was twisting all over, all of a sudden it came down with a big boom and started catching fire.'
'The fire truck came around and started trying to put it out. The fire went out a little bit, but then it started going back up in big smoke again, and they were just trying to grab the people who were on the ground, trying to help them,' she continued.
'It was literally the craziest thing I've ever seen.'
The FAA is currently investigating the incident with ARCH Air Methods, and local authorities are working to determine what led to the crash.
The three crew members survived but the extent of their injuries hasn't been released.
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