Five people, including a patient and their family member, were killed when a small medical plane crashed in western Nevada late Friday, the flight’s operator said.
“We are heartbroken to report that we have now received confirmation from Central Lyon County Fire Department that none of the five people on board survived,” Care Flight said in a statement.
“The five people on board were a pilot, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, a patient and a patient’s family member,” the statement added.
Care Flight said the PC 12 fixed wing aircraft went off radar at approximately 9:45 p.m. local time, near Stagecoach, Nev., a small town around 40 miles east of Reno and 15 miles west of Silver Springs.
“Our immediate focus is helping our team members and families, as well as the responding agencies,” the statement added.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s office said in a statement that the downed aircraft was located at 11:15 p.m.
Care Flight said the sheriff's office and the Central Lyon Fire Department were coordinating with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause of the crash.
The NTSB said in a statement a seven member investigation team would likely be on the ground in Nevada by Saturday night.
Care Flight, which provides contract air ambulance service to communities in northern Nevada, said its flights had been paused Saturday morning until they determined it was safe to return to service.
On Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service office in Reno issued a winter storm warning that covered the area of the crash from early Friday through early Sunday.
The service said an approaching storm could produce gusts of up to 65 mph, heavy snow, and possible whiteout conditions.
