26-04-2025
Metro-east family watched helicopter crash in their yard. Here's what they saw
Ashley Quigley will never forget the events of Thursday April 25.
That was the night a helicopter crashed in her yard in Hartford, Illinois.
A pilot and two crew members were aboard the ARCH Medical Helicopter when it crashed after a training exercise, Hartford Police Chief Matt Asbury said in a press release.
The pilot and the two crew members all sustained non-life-threatening injuries and Friday night were listed in stable condition, Asbury's said.
The Granite City-based medical helicopter was in Hartford at approximately 8:51 p.m. for the training, which was hosted by the Hartford Fire Department.
When the Arch Helicopter was taking off 'an unknown incident caused it to crash, and a short time later it caught fire,' Asbury said.
The Hartford Fire Department, with the assistance of Madison County Haz-Mat, were able to extinguish the helicopter after it burst into flames, Asbury said in a press release. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a cause, according to a release.
Ashley Quigley and her 10-year-old son had just come back from her nephew's baseball game down the street from her house at 105 Elm Street. A friend mentioned that the helicopter was in the area, she said, but was too focused on the game to give it much thought.
But when the helicopter landed in her back yard, her 4-year-old son was too excited to let the opportunity to catch a glimpse pass.
'He thought it was the coolest thing in the world to see the helicopter had landed in his back yard. He was so excited,' she said.
Quigley was holding her 9-month-old daughter and had her 4-year-old in tow.
Then it all went wrong. The propeller hit the tree and the helicopter 'just started spinning out of control,' she said.
'You could hear the crackling sound of the propeller when it hit the tree. You heard the tree crack. It looked like somebody was juggling a ball in the air for a few minutes then it came crashing straight down to the ground.'
Quigley noticed a man laying on the ground next to the wreckage. She wasn't sure if he fell out of the helicopter or if he was injured on the ground.
'I was shaking. My 4-year-old was screaming bloody murder. … I saw all of the firefighters come over and start helping the people,' she said.
Firefighters already at the scene responded quickly when fire erupted on the underside of the helicopter.
'As they were helping the victims on the ground, the helicopter fire got really big. It was the craziest and scariest thing I had ever seen,' Quigley said.
'I was worried that something from the helicopter could come flying at us. I was worried about the people who were inside of the helicopter. There were so many emotions inside that I didn't really know what I was thinking at the time.'
She said she directed her children back into the house, both for safety and to shield them from any more traumatic images.
As for now, she added, they are praying.
