Two people from Minnesota were killed in a helicopter crash in southwest Iowa late Tuesday afternoon.
The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports the names of the victims are being withheld pending notification of family. Authorities say the crash happened just before 4:30 p.m. A person in the area of 240th and Robin Avenue, said they heard a loud sound and observed the helicopter crash. That individual called 911.
The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office received the call and relayed the information to Audubon County. The Audubon and Exira Fire and Rescue Departments were dispatched to the scene. Upon arriving, they found both the helicopter and the area around it was on fire, due to a power line that had been taken down in the crash.
Witnesses have said the copter hit a power transmission line before crashing into the ground and bursting into flames. Debris from the crash struck a passing, nearby pickup truck, but no one in the vehicle was hurt.
The FAA and other agencies are investigating the cause of the crash.
(By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic)