Two CareFlite crew members were killed this afternoon when their helicopter apparently lost its rotor, crashed and caught fire in Midlothian, authorities said.
The Bell 222 helicopter went down after taking off from its Grand Prairie hangar for a post-maintenance test flight, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.
Midlothian firefighters were in the area shortly after the 2:15 crash occurred near Highway 67 and Wyatt Road. They saw smoke from the wreckage, including about a one-acre grass fire that broke out, and responded to the scene, officials said.
“We immediately started to extinguish the fire, but there were no survivors,” said Midlothian Deputy Fire Chief Dale McCaskill. “The wreckage is pretty entangled.”
A CareFlite spokesperson said the two crew members were a pilot and a mechanic. They were not identified, pending notification of their relatives.
"We ask that you keep the families of those killed, and of all first responders in your prayers," CareFlite said in a statement.
The crash site is beyond heavy brush and a fence in an industrial area near two gutted, abandoned buildings from a former tire refurbishing company. Firefighters had to cut through a gate to get to the site, officials said.
The Midlothian Police Department is investigating. Officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are also on scene.
CareFlite is the eighth-oldest medical air transportation service in the nation and the second-oldest in Texas, according to its website.
