PHOENIX — Four people were killed on Aug. 5 when a medical transport plane crashed and caught on fire while landing at an airport in the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, authorities said.
The small, dual-propeller aircraft was heading to pick up a patient from a nearby hospital when it crashed at around 12:40 p.m. local time near the Chinle Municipal Airport, about 165 miles northeast of Flagstaff, according to the Navajo Police Department. Those on board were medical personnel who were "non-local," Navajo Nation Buu Nygren said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which identified the aircraft as a Beechcraft 300, said the plane crashed while landing at the airport. The Navajo Police Department's Chinle District, the tribe's emergency medical services, and fire and rescue services responded to the scene, according to police.
The crash involved CSI Aviation, an air transportation and air charter company headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, police said. The company conducted next-of-kin notifications.
"These were people who dedicated their lives to saving others, and their loss is felt deeply across the Navajo Nation," Nygren said in the statement. "We honor their service, their sacrifice, and the love they showed our communities through their work. On behalf of the Navajo Nation, I extend my deepest condolences to their families, colleagues, and all who are grieving."
